Acceptance
by Glassed Takanofu
Summary: After Regionals, Rachel noticed a change in Quinn's behavior and begins to question her intentions. A few others also begin to notice the change in heart but decide against telling the young diva the reason. (Rated M for language)
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note:_**

 ** _My first Glee fanfic so I don't own anything belonging to Glee. Rated M mainly for language._**

 ** _Just a few notes. This takes place some time after "Born This Way" but there will be changes to the original plot. Blaine transfers to McKinley with Kurt. Quinn does not date Finn after the Finchel breakup. Santana was outed some time between Sectionals and Regionals and decided to make Brittana official._**

* * *

A pair of hazel eyes gazed down the halls of William McKinley High School as three girls in cheerleading uniforms strutted down the hallway. Any student that crossed their path would immediately step to the side for them to continue their way to their class. The blonde in the center of the trio raised her eyebrow when she noticed a large football player holding a large cup of cherry slushie. She looked at the general direction of his path to find a petite brunette that stuck out like a sore thumb with her argyle sweater and plaid skirt.

The blonde simply rolled her eyes before picking up the pace, throwing a hand up in the air and knocking the cup back, splashing the large jock with the rest syrupy drink. Laughter erupted in the hallways as the jock tried to recover and process what had happened in that moment.

"Wha-?! What the hell, Fabray?!" he scowled as he looked at the cheerleader who looked amused at his expression.

"Sorry. My hand slipped," she said, her tongue brushing up against her upper teeth to tease the boy.

"You're going to pay for that!" He stomped over to her but was stopped by the two cheerleaders that accompanied the blonde.

"Step away, Azimio, before you lose more of your dignity," the Latina said, her lips curled in a smirk.

"What did you just say, Lezpez?"

A hand took hold of his Letterman jacket before he found himself looking into icy blue eyes. "Don't call her that," the tall blonde said. Her voice was calm but the boy saw the anger in her eyes.

He pulled away. "Whatever. You girls are crazy!" He scuffled off through the hallway.

The brunette took hold of the tall blonde's hand. "Thanks, Britt Britt. You didn't have to do that," she said quietly, soothing her tall friend.

"But I wanted to," Brittany said innocently.

"Aw. Come here." The Latina wrapped her arms around the taller girl's neck before planting a soft peck to her lips. "As a thank you."

Brittany's cheeks turned into a soft shade of pink before she smiled. "You're welcome."

Quinn folded her arms as she looked at the scene, albeit annoyed at the sudden public display of affection between her friends. "What? No kiss for me for planting that slushie to Azimio's face?" she teased, snapping the two out of their trance and looking towards her.

"Sorry. D-did you say something?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You two need your privacy. I'll see you in class." She turned and started to walk off, only for her gaze to fall on the petite brunette she saw earlier who seemed to have witnessed the sudden scene. She softly smiled to herself but quickly wiped it off when brown eyes met hers.

"Did you just slushie Azimio?" she asked as she started to walk next to the cheerleader.

"Yea. Your point?"

The diva opened and closed her mouth, unsure how to approach the blonde's bluntness. "Uh… well… Normally you'd tell him to slushie the glee club, not slushie each other. The social order in this school always has the jocks and cheerleaders slushie those considered to be losers like the glee club. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Makes sense when the glee club reached Regionals and managed to win while the football team is barely catching up this year, Berry. Have to put them in their place."

"B-but the Cheerios-!"

"Have always been the top. Sue just messed up by forcing us to choose Cheerio or Glee. She ended up begging for us to come back."

"I can see that but it just doesn't seem to make any sense."

"When does anything ever make any sense to you, RuPaul?"

The diva stopped, knowing she was cut off from another comment that was also answered. "P-point taken… but-!" She was cut off by the bell.

"I have to head to class. Later, Berry." The blonde hurried off, leaving Rachel speechless upon being addressed by her last name again.

"But I just... and you..." Rachel quickly quickened her pace, hoping to catch up to the Cheerio. "Qu-Quinn!" she called, only to find the Cheerio running.

"I can't be late, Man Hands! We can save it for later at glee club!" she called back before turning a corner.

Rachel slowly went to a stop before letting out a sigh. She lifted her arms before letting them fall back in defeat. "What was that...?" she muttered to herself.

* * *

Quinn looked around when she found a folded piece of paper land on her History textbook. She turned over to Santana who simply avoided her gaze by talking to Brittany. She quirked an eyebrow before letting out a frustrated sigh. She opened up the note and almost choked on her own breath when she read it.

 _Flirting with the hobbit today?_

Her jaw clenched as she glared at her friend. She scribbled a note before quietly slamming it in front of the Latina, only to receive a smirk in response.

 _What the hell makes you think I want to flirt with that obnoxious diva?_

Santana looked over at Brittany who simply shrugged with an innocent smile on her face. Santana smiled in please before passing the note back.

 _Been staring at her a lot lately. And we all know that Azimio had his eyes on the midget when he had that slushie in his hands._

Quinn let out a sigh to calm down, trying to block the giggles from her friends. She buried her face in her hands to hide the look of defeat from the two. Was it really that obvious?

Another note landed on her desk.

 _My gaydar has been going off since the year started._

"Oh fuck off, Santana!"

"Miss Fabray!" the teacher shouted from the front of the room.

"S-sorry, Mrs. Locke." Quinn glared at her friends who were quietly laughing at her reaction. "Zip it, you two. There's nothing going on between me and that midget!" she seethed under her breath.

 _Girl~ Tell us everything at lunch~ We can hide under the janitor's closet or in the showers~_

The blonde rolled her eyes, knowing her friends will drill her about her sudden crush on the diva.

* * *

"Wait a minute. Quinn Fabray slushied Azimio Adams _willingly_?" Mercedes asked as Rachel called an emergency meeting with a few members of the glee club. "Hell no. There is no way."

"That's what I'm confused about," Rachel said quietly, hoping the girl in question doesn't step into the room. "She's slushied me all through freshman year and the first half of sophomore until her pregnancy. I don't know what's got into her to suddenly slushie Azimio Adams."

"Now that I think about it, she's been changing quite a lot after the whole pregnancy situation," Kurt said," She became nicer even while still acting like a bitch."

"Maybe a change of heart after being kicked off the Cheerios last year," Tina suggested," She's been loyal to the glee club after that."

"Yet still crawl back to the Cheerios after losing Regionals?" Kurt snapped, making the goth shrink back.

"T-true..."

"Only time I remembered her being nice was when I forced myself on that diet but her attitude still remained the same," Mercedes said," Her head is really confusing." She looked at Rachel who was worried. "Any chance you can talk to her?"

"And risk having a verbal smackdown?"

"Well you did say she said your name. Twice, even," Kurt said," At least take the risk."

* * *

 _ **And that's the first chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. The first three chapters are actually complete and new chapters will steadily appear over time. I want to keep it short and sweet while working on other personal projects now that the spring semester is over.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2! Remember: I do not own Glee or its characters, even with the changes._**

* * *

Laughter roared through the back of the bleachers on the football field before Quinn wrapped her hands over her friends' mouths to muffle their laughs. "Shut it! It's not funny!"

Santana ripped off the blonde's hand, laughing between her words. "You and... the midget... Freshman year..."

Quinn felt the heat rising to her cheeks. "Oh come on, S. As if you didn't feel the same way about Britt."

"Oh no! This is completely different from me and Britt! I wasn't a total bitch to her for the past 2 years to hide a HUGE GAY CRUSH!" She started to laugh again before being tackled to the ground.

"Zip it, San!" Quinn shouted, only for the Latina to laugh harder.

"I find it cute," Brittany said as she looked at the two. "Like a little boy when he likes a girl. Well a little girl because you're a girl."

Quinn rolled her eyes before getting off her friend and plopping down on the grass, her arms folded. "Don't you dare tell anyone about this. If my parents find out-"

"Please! As if we would tell your parents after how they treated you when they found out about Beth!" Santana laughed before being pushed. "Come on, Q! You know we're better than that."

"Ugh. If anyone else finds out about this, I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Good luck because I _will_ go Lima Heights if you try."

"Come on, guys. Don't fight about this," Brittany pouted as she separated the two. "Are you going to tell her, Quinn?"

"No, and I never will," the shorter blonde snapped. "Besides, she's chasing that pale titan of a boyfriend."

"Who's also your ex that's chasing you again," Santana said, only to find a glare with Quinn's eyebrows raised. "Oh, come on, Q. We're going to be graduating next year! Why can't you get the guts to confess before she runs off to New York?"

"And out myself? Please. You saw what happened when you got outed."

"Hey, I would have done it myself if that dolphin wasn't being such an idiot after getting his wittle feewings hurt," Santana said, her voice mocking the quarterback at the last part. "And everyone knows how Britt is so it would have ended up perfectly fine."

"Sure..." Quinn rolled her eyes back, unable to believe how her friend got away with it. "You're talking about the President of the Celibacy Club who is also the daughter of a highly religious family. Not that easy."

"But it does mean you'll be nicer to her, right?" Brittany asked, sipping on a juice box. "Now that you like her."

"Ugh..." Quinn leaned forward to look at her friend. "It's not that easy, B. I'm an HBIC. I live to torture people. And to have me be _nice_ to the biggest loser in McKinley? Not gonna happen."

"Aw~ Is little Quinnie afraid to admit she likes her girlfriend?" Santana teased, only to be pushed again.

"Zip it, San. I have a reputation to uphold."

"Why? If you're truly an HBIC, you'd just let your face scare people if they want to make fun of you. I'm still a savage after being outed."

"Uh-huh. Sure. Easy for you to say, Satan."

"Hey. Just know we're here if you ever need help confessing. We all know that Hudson is as interesting as a freshly painted white wall. If you're lucky, she's probably using him as a beard like how I used Karofsky."

Quinn quirked an eyebrow, curious of the sudden comment about the Karofpez beard situation. "As if."

"Well I'm all for it," Brittany said, cupping her hands under her face in hope. "It'd be cute to see you together."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Can we just talk about this another time? I want to eat in peace now."

* * *

"Beards?" Rachel asked as she walked with Brittany to class.

"That's what Santana said," the tall blonde said as she clutched her binder.

Rachel quickly stepped in front of the Cheerio to stop her. "W-w-wait... You think one of us is using the other as a beard? I-I don't get it. We're both straight, Brittany. Why would you or-or Santana think about something like that?"

The blonde simply shrugged. "I dunno... Finn is cute but he doesn't seem to be that interesting. Always having that weird look on her face..."

The diva furrowed her eyebrows, seeing how it's the first time the kindest of the Unholy Trinity spoke about her ex-boyfriend in such a way. "S-so you think _I'm_ using him as my beard?"

"I never said that."

"But you thought it."

"Maybe... Wait, what were we talking about?"

Rachel let out a frustrated sigh. "Me using Finn as a beard!" she said quietly.

Brittany tilted her head up and nodded in realization. "Oh yea... I dunno, Rachel. It just seems like it."

The small brunette looked at the Cheerio, unsure how to respond to the blonde's words or figure out her intentions. "S-so what would even happen if I did turn out to be gay? Are you or-or Santana going to out me?"

"We wouldn't do that. I don't think. Santana wouldn't do that." She paused when Rachel raised her eyebrows at her.

"Probably payback for when Finn outed her. Take it all out on me like she always does." She stopped once she saw the hurt look in Brittany's eyes. "B-Britt. I didn't mean it like that."

The blonde quickly shook her head. "I-it's fine, Rachel... It's just... I thought you two started to become friends with glee club and everything..." She sheepishly poked her index fingers together, making the brunette feel guilty.

"No... No, Brittany. I mean, we're not friends yet. We probably just tolerate each other, but we haven't really reached the idea of being actual friends yet. I mean, I really don't see a reason for us to be friends. She's been tormenting me for a while until recently when she admitted to liking glee club. It's more of just snide remarks, but I dunno... It's pretty confusing between the two of us. But just know that you and I can be friends, Brittany." She offered a kind smile to the Cheerio, hoping to cheer her up.

"You really think so?" Brittany asked, hope in her eyes.

"O-of course. But please stop asking about the whole beard thing. Finn and I are still working things out so it's really complicated."

Brittany puffed up her cheeks, letting out a little sigh. Rachel sighed in response, knowing the taller girl won't drop the topic. But she couldn't blame her. Every conversation she's had with Finn in and outside of their relationship wasn't really exciting and he mostly just nods or have that confused look on his face. If possible, he just talks about sports which confuses the diva, herself. But she convinced herself that it will take time for them to find an in-between to work with as they date.

"O-okay... so let's say I _was_ using Finn as my beard. But what will that do? I can't just come out like you or Santana. I'm already a big loser as I already am. Coming out would just make things worse. I'll be covered in slushies every time I turn a corner-" She stopped when she saw said drink being raised towards her from the side. She braced herself but was quickly pushed back by Brittany, making the red syrup hit the lockers with a few drops hitting the two girls.

"What the hell?! Are you stupid?!" A hockey player yelled at the Cheerio who grimaced at the syrup stuck to the white sleeves of her uniform. "Hey! Are you listening?!"

Brittany looked at him, a hurt look in her eyes. "It's not nice hitting people with slushies. And it's mean to call me stupid." She jumped over the puddle on the floor and helped Rachel to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yea... Thanks, Brittany..." Rachel's eyes soon widened at the sight of the angry jock. "Uh... Brittany... We should probably run..."

"Huh?" Brittany turned to find the jock charge at her, only for him to be cut off by a slushy to the face. He cried out from the pain and fell to his knees.

"What the fuck?!"

The two turned to find Quinn and Santana, an empty cup in the former's hands as the two were clearly angry although for different reasons. "You did not just try to attack my girlfriend, Nelson," the Latina scowled angrily. "And you did not just call her stupid after throwing that slushy."

"The hell is wrong with you girls?! Backing up that hobbit of a loser!" he shouted.

"What makes you think we're defending her?" Quinn teased," You deserved that slushy after picking on Brittany."

"Rachel is my friend. I have to help her," Brittany stated, only to have her cheek affectionately tugged by her girlfriend.

"Aw~ Good girl for helping your friend~ Not the right one but good girl~" Santana cooed, making the tall blonde blush and smile in please.

Rachel looked at the three in shock, unsure how to make of the situation.

"Just forget it!" The hockey player ran off, hoping to find the nearest bathroom to wash away the syrup from his eyes.

The trio turned towards Rachel who quickly tensed at their gaze. She found her hand grabbed before the Big Quench cup was placed into her hold. "Sorry. No autographs for today," Quinn said, leaving the brunette speechless of the sudden gesture.

"U-um thanks..." Rachel looked over at Brittany who was picking at the stains on her uniform. She looked back at Quinn who looked at her with the usual scowl. "Um... Thanks for doing that to Rick. It was really surprising that-" She was stopped when the blonde held up her hand.

"I didn't do it to help you, hobbit. Didn't you hear me? He was about to hit Britt and called her stupid. You were just here to witness," she said, ignoring the teasing smirk from Santana who read through her lies. "Now keep that cup in your hand and pretend we weren't here." She walked off with Santana following as she held onto Brittany's wrist to lead her away.

"Bye, Rachel~ See you in glee club~" the tall blonde called before turning a corner with Santana.

Rachel looked at the cup in her hands in confusion before she heard footsteps. "Rachel!" Kurt and Mercedes ran over to her.

"Oh my God, did you just slushy Rick 'the Stick' Nelson?!" Kurt exclaimed in shock when he saw the cup in his friend's hands.

"Wh-what?" She looked at the cup in her hands again before quickly shaking her head. "N-no! Y-you know I don't have the heart to slushy anyone! I just-!" She was cut off by the bell yet again before finding her arm grabbed by Mercedes.

"Okay, let's go to class so you can tell us everything," the taller diva said before leading her through the halls.

"B-but I... I just..." Rachel was speechless, still unable to comprehend the scenes from the day. It was only an hour after lunch and so much has happened to her. "I just..."

"Girl, we only told you to try to talk to Quinn today. Never thought you'd try to work up the courage by throwing a slushy at one of the jocks."

"Probably trying to get into character since only a bitch can talk to another bitch," Kurt joked, making his friend laugh.

"I thought so! Now let's hurry so we can get the full story!"

* * *

"I'm telling you. I really didn't slushy Rick!" Rachel cried as the three walked into the choir room after school. "I don't have the heart to!"

"Well we saw that red syrup on his face and the cup in your hands. There's no way someone else could have done it," Kurt said much to the brunette's dismay.

Rachel let out a groan before seeing the Cheerios chatting in their usual spot. "Brittany! Brittany!" She ran over to the tall blonde who smiled at her presence.

"Oh hi, Rachel!" She pulled the diva into a hug, lifting her into the air. "Glad you didn't get slushied today." She set her down.

"Brittany, please tell Kurt and Mercedes that I didn't slushy Rick. It was Quinn and Santana, wasn't it?"

Brittany tilted her head before looking at her friends who simply acted innocent with shrugs. She looked back at Rachel, confusion in her eyes. "Rick got slushied today? When?"

Rachel looked at her, dumbfounded. "B-Brittany. You were right there. He was trying to throw a slushy at me and you pushed me out of the way. He attacked you but then Quinn slushied him before he can touch you. How can you forget that?" She looked at the two Cheerios. "How did you two forget that?"

"We saw you with the cup but we definitely didn't throw the slushy," Santana said with her hands raised. "The diva's hallucinating."

Rachel looked at the two in disbelief. "Wha- But you just-" She looked at Quinn who had her eyebrows raised in amusement. She soon remembered what the head Cheerio said before they left.

 _Now keep that cup in your hand and pretend we weren't here._

She quickly marched up to the head Cheerio, determination in her eyes. "We need to talk. Now."

Quinn smirked in please as she rested an arm on the backrest of her chair. "What about, midget?"

"You know what, Quinn. Come on." She took hold of Quinn's hand before dragging her out of the room.

"Oh no~ The hobbit is about to go She Hulk on me~" she said, feigning fear in her voice. "Save me, guys~" She held out her free hand as if asking for help before being dragged through the doors.

Rachel felt the heat rise up on her cheeks when she heard the club members laughing at the joke. She turned the corner before placing Quinn on the bench nearby. She folded her arms with a huff, only for Quinn's smirk to grow wider. "I really see nothing funny with this, Quinn," the brunette snapped. "We all saw you throw it at Rick. I don't know why you're pretending it never happened and making Brittany lie about it. What's going on? You slushied Azimio Adams who was most likely aiming at me and now throwing one straight at Rick 'the Stick' Nelson."

Quinn leaned back with a short laugh. "Just wanted to have a little fun. Those guys can't touch me so I want to see what would happen if I were to rile them up a bit. Besides. Brittany got high off some gummy bears and forgot what happened until she recovered. I'm actually curious as to how and see if I can try."

Rachel looked at her, a little peeved the cheerleader changed the subject. "But isn't it a little weird? With me as witness?"

Quinn crossed her legs as her hands rested on her knees. "Just a coincidence you were there."

Rachel let her arms fall to her sides as she looked at the blonde. "Quinn, I'm serious. You've been acting really off ever since the new school year started. Aside from the usual insulting nicknames, you haven't really done anything. Not even a slushy to my face. Not that I want one but it's getting me a little worried."

Quinn stood up, towering over the diva. "Probably the leftover hormones from the pregnancy. Nothing to worry about, sweetie."

Rachel felt her cheeks burning when she noticed how close the head Cheerio was to her face. And sweetie? Since when did the HBIC of McKinley use that kind of nickname with anyone outside the Unholy Trinity? "Qu-Quinn... You're a little too close for my comfort…" she stammered.

This only received a smile from the cheerleader who straightened herself. "Better?" She brushed past the brunette before walking back to the choir room. "Can't keep Mr. Shue waiting, Man Hands. Hurry it up." She entered the choir room and ignored the stares from the others, especially the knowing smirk from Santana.

"W-wait! Quinn!" she heard Rachel call before the diva ran into the room and was stopped by the teacher.

"Slow down, Rachel. Can't let you get yourself hurt with Regionals coming up," Will said. "Come on. Take a seat while we discuss the setlist."

"S-sorry, Mr. Shue..." Rachel went to go take her seat next to Finn.

"You okay?" he asked, clueless to what happened throughout the school day.

"Huh? Y-yea… I'm fine. Sorry about that." She glanced back at the Cheerios to find Quinn giving Santana a gentle shove after being nudged and teased by the Latina. She wasn't sure what was going on in their heads but she couldn't help but to worry.


	3. Chapter 3

_**And here's Chapter 3! Future chapters will be coming out more steadily from now on.**_

 _ **Remember: I do not own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

"Give 'em back~" Brittany whined as she reached for the pack of gummy bears that Santana held away. "I'm going through wither~"

"You mean withdrawal, but you got high off of these so you should wait for tomorrow," the brunette chided," I'll give you chocolate after practice if you behave." This resulted in more whining before the tall blonde gave up and collapsed onto the grass in defeat. Santana rolled her eyes before crouching down, taking a gummy bear out of the box. "Just one and that's it." She tossed one into the air, allowing her girlfriend to catch it with her teeth.

"Yay~"

"Okay, guys! No more sugar before practice starts!" Quinn called from the middle of the field. She let out a sigh, feeling a twinge of jealousy when the two were being lovey-dovey to one another. She pretended to hurl at this. "Oh my god, I can't believe I just thought that…" she muttered to herself.

"Thought of what?" Santana asked, an eyebrow raised in amusement.

The blonde looked at her friend with a glare. "Nothing, S." She looked at Brittany who was still chewing on the piece. "I seriously wonder how you forgot that whole slushy thing by eating a box of gummy bears. At least it covered up that thing."

The taller blonde just shrugged in response. "I go to Happyville where gummy bears dance around me singing 'Lollipop'." She started to repetitively point to the ground as if to create small dots, signifying the dancing bears.

Santana quickly waved it off. "At least it covered your whole thing with the hobbit. But seriously, Q. What went on in that hallway?"

The head Cheerio felt the heat rise to her cheeks, remembering how close she was to the diva. She clenched her jaw for a moment to calm herself before letting out a deep exhale. She calmly looked at her friend. "Nothing important. She just continued to confuse herself."

The Latina furrowed her eyebrows at the conclusion. "Wait. She hasn't caught on at all? Do we have to go Barbra Streisand on her for her to get a clue?"

"Ugh…" Quinn threw her arms into the air in frustration. "Seriously, S. I _really_ don't want her to catch on after a _day_. If I make it obvious, I'll be outed." She quickly turned towards the track where the rest of the team was running laps. "Faster! You have five minutes to complete ten laps!" Feet began to shuffle as the cheerleaders started to sprint in fear of their head cheerleader's wrath. She turned back to her friends. "Seriously, guys. I prefer small gestures that aren't too obvious. I'm just lucky enough Britt was there was Nelson had that slushy."

"The stains still won't come of…" Brittany whined, remembering the splash from before.

"We'll get it dry cleaned after practice," Santana said, not taking her eyes off the other girl. "Look, Q. If you really want Man Hands to notice and maybe have feelings for you, you can't keep covering it up. At this rate, it will take her five years to get a clue. And you'll be outed once that happens. I really don't see the problem with rushing it."

"She likes Finn," Quinn said loudly yet slowly for emphasis. "You want him to throw chairs at me? You saw what he did when he found out Puck was the father of my child!"

Santana simply scoffed at the comment. "Oh please. That pale gorilla goes into blind rage so it won't even hit you. And stop wimping out or I'll tell her, myself."

Quinn groaned, knowing the girl will keep her word even if it kills her. She looked at Brittany who was playing the hems of her skirt. "Britt. Did Berry say anything about Finn being her beard?" she asked, hoping the tall blonde can stop her girlfriend from spilling the beans.

Brittany looked up. "Hm? Well she said they're both straight. Kind of shocked when I asked."

"How can a straight person fall in love with a dolphin that has a brain the size of an ant?" Santana questioned, receiving a shrug.

"But she did say that if he was her beard, she'll be too scared to say it. It's weird because everyone thinks she is because her dads are gay."

"Oh look! I have hope!" Quinn said, struggling to add some sarcasm into her tone. "Now you can keep your mouth shut, Santana."

"Ugh~ You're being so difficult~" Santana groaned.

The sound of a whistle was heard before the feedback of a bullhorn came from the end of the field. "Liven up, ladies! It's show time!" Sue Silvester shouted through the bullhorn.

Santana looked at Quinn who felt relieve at the appearance of their coach. "Oh, we're talking about this later, Fabray. You can't hide in the closet forever now that I know."

* * *

Rachel fiddled with her hairbrush as she looked at Mercedes and Kurt who sat on her bed, both of them confused and speechless at her story from the day. "Wait… Hold on a second… Brittany asked if Finn was your beard?" Mercedes asked.

"Yes! I was really confused because I never really thought about using Finn like that. He's too nice to be manipulated after that whole 'Run, Joey. Run' incident."

"Not an incident but we get it," Kurt chimed in, still processing the information given. "And right after that, she saved you from a slushy facial after you called her a friend."

"So Rick 'the Stick' attacked her for that which then led to Quinn throwing a slushy at him," Mercedes finished.

"So… Quinn slushied Azimio who seemed to have had eyes on you for the slushy… and then she slushied Rick for picking on Brittany…" Kurt shared a knowing glance with Mercedes before they looked at the confused diva seated at the dresser. He held up his finger before standing up. "Mind if the two of us talk outside for a bit?"

Rachel looked at them, confused at how they want to discuss the situation without her. "S-su-"

"Thanks." Kurt quickly dragged Mercedes out of the room, closing the door and leading her to the other end of the hallway. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That Quinn Fabray is suddenly becoming protective of Rachel? Hell yes. I've had my suspicions about her since the year started but I thought she just loosened up a little. But really? Quinn 'Head Bitch of the Cheerios' Fabray going gay for our Rachel Berry?"

"The sudden shift in attitude towards her seems a lot like it." Kurt rested her hand under his chin in thought. "Should we tell her?"

"And have her freak out? No way. Besides, she's worrying about Finn. She'll start to ramble on about how impossible it would be for her to like a girl, let alone Quinn."

"Hmm… True… Very true… And she's already freaking out with Nationals coming up. I guess we should break it to her after Prom and Nationals if she doesn't figure it out soon."

"Agreed." They marched back to Rachel's room to find her patiently waiting, worried of what they'll say.

"Rachel, we have come to a conclusion about this matter. And what we think is this: be friends with Quinn."

The diva blinked a few times, surprised of their answer. "E-excuse me?"

"Quinn is trying to be your friend, Rachel," Mercedes said," Protecting us glee kids by deflecting slushies? Going down to just calling you names and actually using your name? She wants to be your friend."

Rachel couldn't help but to open and close her mouth, unable to make any sound from the confusion. "Wait… what…? Me and Quinn? As friends? No. Nonononono…" She stood up and started to pace. "I-it can't be possible. She hates my guts. Why would she even-"

"It's true. She's gotten really soft towards us even after rejoining the Cheerios. It would all fall into place," Kurt said. "Take the chance before she turns bitchy again."

Rachel nervously bit her lower lip, unsure what to make of the situation or if she'll be able to approach the cheerleader in such a way.

* * *

The sound of the locker slamming closed was heard before Rachel banged her head against it. She let out a loud groan as her arms limply swung at her sides. She didn't seem to ignore the footsteps approaching her.

"What's up, RuPaul?"

The diva jumped at the call and shielded herself when she saw the "Big Quench" cups filled to the brim with grape slushies. She heard a scoff. "Relax. We're not going to hit you or anything. At least not today, hobbit."

She looked up to find the Unholy Trinity, Brittany sipping from the cup in her hands and Quinn holding two. "Uh… hi… What brings you three to my locker?" She tried to feign innocence but the way Quinn raised her eyebrows suggested she failed.

"Just a little deal, midget." Quinn held up the extra cup. "A truce treat for today."

Rachel looked at the cup, scared that the head Cheerio will toss it into her face if she were to reach for it. She shakily reached for it before finding the blonde placing it in her hands. "Stop shaking or you'll spill."

"S-sorry…" She looked at the treat before at the three. "U-um… I don't want to come off as rude but… Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?"

"Britt told me to and I can't say 'no' to her," Santana said bluntly before taking a sip of her drink. "Going on and on about wanting to stay as friends with you."

Quinn pursed her lips before giving a quick nod. "Ditto. Can't say no to Britt." She ignored the nudges from Santana. "Besides, better having a day drinking one rather than taking one to the face." She slyly bit into her straw, taking a slow sip as she didn't take her eyes off the small diva.

"O-okay… I was just curious… But uh… is it okay if we can talk? In private? We can go to the auditorium before glee club if you want."

Quinn held back a smile and continued drinking. "Sure. Just don't start singing show tunes or I'll ditch."

"O-okay."

"Well look at what we have here," a voice sneered as footsteps were heard. "Glad to have you ladies back."

The three rolled their eyes and turned to find the hockey players. "Oh. Just you guys. So what do you want with us?"

Rick smirked before getting close. "Thought you joined the losers, Fabray. You're one of us so I thought it'd be fishy for you to be hanging out with that theater wannabe. Glad you returned with some treats for her."

Santana looked over at her friend and noticed the harsh look in her eyes. Sure, the head cheerleader was smiling, but anyone could tell that she was angry. She carefully reached over and tapped Brittany's arm, making the two back away towards Rachel who shrunk against the lockers.

"You know what, Rick? You're right. What am I doing hanging out with losers? I should really go back and give out some punishment." She turned back to Rachel who found herself surrounded by the Cheerios. She shrunk in fear at their gazes before noticing a simple smirk on Quinn's face along with a wink. She found the cup snatched away before Quinn's mouth moved but no sound seemed to have come. _"I'll treat you tomorrow,"_ she seemed to have mouthed.

Rachel was confused at the statement but in a flash, the three turned back to the hockey players, dousing them with the syrupy drink. Collective gasps were heard through the halls as the Cheerios laughed at the boys' suffering.

"Win Regionals and _then_ tell us who to hang out with!" Quinn sneered before walking off with her friends, leaving Rachel speechless. For the second day in a row, Quinn Fabray has protected Rachel Berry from a slushy attack.

* * *

Laughter rang through the choir room as the glee kids watched the footage from this morning during their free period. "I can't believe they actually sent those guys to the ground!" Tina exclaimed.

"Oh man, I really can't wait to hear what they have to say when they come in," Blaine said, receiving nods from everyone else.

"Rachel looks like a lost puppy when they left," Artie noted, seeing the girl frozen and unable to let words come out of her mouth from the shock.

"This is really going to be an interesting year," Mercedes chuckled," Play it again. Their faces are priceless!"

"Whose faces are priceless?" Santana asked as she stepped into the room with Brittany, making the group freeze in their spots.

"Uh…"

"Hand over the phone, Lady Hummel."

The flamboyant boy pouted before passing his phone to the Latina. She turned it over to get a good look at the video. She snorted. "Glad someone caught it. Oh, how I love the taste of defeat." She looked at the others who were confused at their behavior. "What?"

"So… why did you defend Rachel and send slushies into the faces of jocks…?" Sam asked.

"Oh that?"

"They called me stupid yesterday…" Brittany said with a pout, poking her fingers together.

"And whoever makes fun of Brittany will get me going Lima Heights on their sorry asses. Anymore questions?"

Finn slowly raised his hand. "Where's Rachel?"

* * *

Quinn stepped into the auditorium and softly smiled to herself when she spotted a familiar brunette standing at the piano, shuffling through sheet music with her back to the cheerleader. "That better not be show tunes, Berry," she joked, making the girl jump.

Rachel turned at the call, trying to calm down. "Quinn. You're… You're early…" She gathered the sheets into a neat pile before stuffing them into a folder. "I was just organizing the sheet music for some possible originals. They're not complete yet so I just want to get started as soon as I can."

"Hm." Quinn started to make her way down the stairs. "So you said you wanted to talk in private? What about?"

"Oh! Um… Maybe we should sit down for this," Rachel suggested, scared the Cheerio will tower over her like the day before. She pulled out the seat for the piano before letting the blonde sit. Quinn scooted over, patting the spot next to her.

"If you want me to sit, you should as well."

The diva hesitated, making incoherent noises as if to refuse before being pulled down into the seat. "O-okay…"

"So what did you want to talk about, Berry?"

Rachel took in a deep breath, unsure how to approach the subject. The head Cheerio has been acting so nice to her after over two years of torment. Nothing but having harsh names thrown at her and recently finding out that she's the one responsible for the pornographic drawings in the girls' bathrooms. Sometimes a slushy facial a little more than twice a week.

"I just… I'm just confused, Quinn. You've been doing nothing but torment me for two years and still throw insults until recently. You're being nicer to me, protecting me from slushy attacks the past two days… It just seems so weird and unlike you and I'm getting worried."

Quinn looked at her longingly, her chin rested on the palm of her hand with her knee propped on top of her leg. "Since when were you ever worried about anyone but yourself, Rachel?"

A soft groan was heard. Of course she would bring up her whole diva act. She just couldn't help herself. Years of lessons with nothing to show for. Glee was the only outlet for her to release her creativity and led to her putting up a diva act.

"I just… I dunno… Even Mercedes and Kurt said you're being nicer to them and it's really throwing us off about your behavior and we're wondering what's going on with you."

The blonde seemed to have found herself lost in Rachel's brown eyes. It was pretty cute to see her worried and moping. "Well. What did they say?"

"What do you mean?"

"Clearly the three of you have talked about it. Tell me. What did Mercedes and Kurt say about this sudden change in behavior?" She was definitely curious about how others outside the Unholy Trinity viewed her actions. But she was also worried that it might have accidentally outed her.

"Well… um… They said you're becoming softer because… you want to be friends with me."

More than friends actually.

Quinn raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh?"

Rachel quickly stood up, afraid of the head Cheerio's next comment. "S-sorry. We must be silly to be thinking like that. I mean. Why would the head cheerleader want to be friends with me? It just doesn't make any sense in the social ladder and you've pretty much hated my guts since freshman year and-" She stopped when she found her hand grabbed. Her cheeks gained a pink tint and she looked over at Quinn who simply smiled at the gesture.

"Well. They're not completely wrong," she teased. "I do want to be your friend, Rachel. But only if you say yes."

"Yes? For what?" She froze when she saw the devilish smirk on the girl's face.

"Accompany me to Prom."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.**_

* * *

"Accompany me to Prom."

Rachel blinked a few times at the request, surprised at the blonde. Prom? With _the_ Quinn Fabray? Head Bitch of the Cheerios? She opened and closed her mouth, unsure how to answer. "Um… uh… E-excuse me…?" she stammered.

Quinn let her elbow rest on the piano keys, her head resting on her head so she can lean against the instrument. The smirk never seemed to have left and Rachel noticed it wasn't the usual smirk the cheerleader usually shoots at others. "You heard me, Berry. Go to Prom with me."

The small diva raised her hands a bit, taking a few cautious steps back. "Y-you _have_ to be joking, right? You want me to go to Prom with you? How-?"

"I figured it might be a nice change of pace. Sure, it'd be nice to go with Finn only because we're running for Prom King and Queen, but it'd feel nice to go with a friend." She saw the shorter girl furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, remembering that the two broke up because the quarterback pursued the blonde some time before Regionals. "Oh don't worry your little head, Berry. As if I'm actually that interested in that titan compared to freshman year. You're still free to go after him if you want, but my offer still stands." She stood up. "I should head to Glee. They must be wondering where we went. But if you ever think about it, just tell me." She gave a teasing wink before walking off the stage.

Rachel felt the heat rise to her face at the sudden gesture. _"D-did she really ask me out to Prom…? Quinn? Is this the same Quinn we're talking about…?"_ She looked back at the blonde who stepped through the doors before giving chase, knowing she has to get to the choir room as well.

* * *

"P-Prom?! Quinn Fabray asked you to Prom?!" Tina exclaimed as some of the glee clubbers met during free period. "Please tell us you're kidding, Berry!"

"I-I-I don't know… I'm just as shocked as you are…" Rachel stammered, still unable to recover from what happened in the auditorium.

"Maybe she just wants you two to go as friends," Artie suggested as he practiced his wheelies on the other side of the choir room. "There's no way the President of the Celibacy Club would ever ask another girl on a date and isn't she dating Finn?"

"She said she wasn't interested so they're probably just friends. She said she'll wait for an answer but I don't know what to even say…"

"But isn't it tradition for Prom King and Queen Nominees to attend Prom as a couple?" Mercedes inquired. "It's the best way to get votes."

"Well the way she asked seems like she's up to something," Kurt said," We should probably keep an eye on her on Prom Night in case anything happens."

"W-wait… What happened to you guys wanting me to try being friends with her?" Rachel asked, surprised at the sudden shift in attitude from her friends.

Kurt rolled his eyes before looking at the diva. "Yea, sure. _Now_ is perfectly fine to be her friend. But Prom is in two months and we don't know what could happen in those two months. It's best to be cautious sometimes."

Rachel puffed up her cheeks as she exhaled. She nervously bit her lower lip and looked at her friends who agreed with the boy. "I… I guess it wouldn't be that bad to say yes…" She saw the group quietly celebrating and raised a finger to stop them. "But only as friends. Just friends. Nothing more or you guys will get the wrong idea."

Kurt and Mercedes raised their eyebrows in amusement and shared knowing glances. They gave each other a nod before twiddling their fingers together. _Operation FaBerry is underway._

* * *

Santana furrowed her eyebrows as she heard the quick rustling of grass behind her while talking to Brittany. She quickly swiped away the half-eaten candy bar from her girlfriend before turning around to find her cheer captain giddily jumping up and down, phone in hand and a smile on her face. Her eyes widened at the sight. Quinn Fabray genuinely smiling and hopping around like a twelve-year-old fangirl. Definitely something you would _not_ see every day.

"Aw… She looks so happy," Britt grinned, noticing Quinn's sudden change in behavior.

Santana couldn't help but to twist her lips into a devilish smirk at the sight. "Well. Guess we're going to have a little fun." She held the candy bar up to her girlfriend who excitedly took it back to finish. "Knock yourself out." She folded her arms and walked over to her head Cheerio who didn't seem to notice her approach. She cleared her throat, making Quinn jump back in shock and her free hand going to her chest. The Latina couldn't help but to feel amused when the blonde's happiness quickly faded and turned into anger from the scare.

"Shit, Santana! You scared the hell out of me!" she shouted. Her face was visibly red in embarrassment for letting herself to be caught off guard in such a manner, especially after her reaction to her latest text from one Rachel Berry.

Santana softly hummed, the smirk not leaving her lips. "Looks like you got some good news, Q. Never saw you jumping like a bunny on crack before." She dodged a push and let out a short laugh. "Lemme guess… The hobbit texted you for the first time." Her smile widened when the girl was speechless and hid her phone.

"What makes you think that?"

The Latina tilted her head a bit with an annoyed look on her face. "Really? This has been something we've talked about for a while now. Come on. Give me your phone." She reached for the phone but found it held it away from her. "C'mon, Lucy Caboosey. What are you embarrassed about?"

"Nothing, San! Have you no sense of privacy?!" Quinn snapped as the two struggled. She felt the phone being taken out of her grasp and turned to find Brittany who started scrolling through. "Give it back, B!" She reached for it but was soon held back by the waist by Santana.

"What does it say, Britt Britt?" the Latina asked as she tried to hold the shorter blonde down from tackling her girlfriend. She noticed an awed smile on the tall blonde's face and her blue eyes sparkling when she read the text.

"Aw~ You asked her to Prom?" she asked, looking at the head Cheerio.

"Wait what?!" Santana's hold loosened, allowing Quinn to swipe back her phone and hold it away from the two, anger in her eyes and her face redder than before. "You asked RuPaul to PROM?!"

"As a _friend_ , Santana!" the blonde quipped, holding her phone against her chest as if her life depended on it. "Just as a friend!"

"But you still asked her to Prom! You said you want to take it slow! Asking her to Prom is not taking it slow!"

"It's in two months! I don't know what the big deal is if I'm asking as a friend! Besides! We both don't have dates!"

Santana raised her eyebrows and folded her arms. "What about Finnocence? He's been chasing you with his tail between his legs for a while. Sometimes even the hobbit."

"We are not dating. I never said that!"

"Oh really? I gave him mono on Valentine's Day and you showed up with mono the next day. You really think I wouldn't catch that?"

Quinn threw her arms into the air in frustration. "Oh come on, Santana! We've been through this already! I have to cause some kind of commotion to cover this shit up!"

This earned a fake laugh from the Latina. "Uh-huh, sure."

Brittany looked between the two before looking at Quinn who looked like she might pounce on the shorter Cheerio at any minute. "So… Finn's not your beard?" she asked, making the two look at her.

"Wha- N-no, Britt. We're not even dating," Quinn said with an exasperated sigh. "I just… ughh…" She let her head fall onto the taller blonde's shoulder. "I don't even know anymore…"

Brittany's face fell at the sight of her friend moping. She looked at her girlfriend. "You don't have to be mean about it, San… She's being shy."

The brunette let out a deep sigh before resting a hand on Quinn's shoulder at an attempt to comfort her. "Of all times to be shy, it _has_ to be junior year."

"You should talk…" Quinn snapped, her voice muffled by the fact her face was buried in Brittany's shoulder. The taller girl quickly hushed her girlfriend before she can make another snide remark.

* * *

Rachel tapped her phone against her hand as she paced around her room. It has already been a week since she accepted Quinn's offer on attending Prom together and it started to make her nervous. The head Cheerio seemed to have been defending her from slushie attacks at every waking moment or continue throwing slushies at jocks that bullied the glee kids. The diva was obviously grateful but it was the least of her problems.

Quinn began to be a bit more… flirtatious. Cracking a devious smile to show she was joking about a harsh comment. Shoot a wink in her direction from time to time. Even licking her upper teeth whenever Rachel looks her way when singing for glee club. It began to worry the brunette about her new friend's behavior and wanted to ask about it. She wasn't sure if it was a new way of the blonde's bullying or there was more to it.

She looked at her phone again where the box for a message was empty, still figuring out the right words for the Cheerio. One wrong move and she'll be slushied the next morning. She had to admit, it was hard for her to make friends so she cant really let this opportunity slip by. Everyone at the school hated her so she tried her best to get attention and rise to the top to accomplish her dreams after graduating. Attending the best performing arts school for theater and star on multiple Broadway shows. More specifically Funny Girl, a show she had admired since she was young. She figured she had to do whatever it takes to reach that goal even if there were bumps and bruises on the way there.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when her phone started to ring. She quickly caught after fumbling around with it before looking at the screen to be a new text message. She felt her heart pounding when she looked at the ID. Quinn had given it to her long ago when they made their truce about Finn during sophomore year but Rachel didn't have the heart to text her in fear of the torment that would happen through that small screen.

"Calm down, Rachel Berry… It's just Quinn…" she quietly said to herself as she started to pace again. "She's probably asking you about Prom or something about glee. Yeah… glee…

She took a seat on her bed before opening up the text.

 _From Quinn F.: Hey. Mind if we talk for a little bit?_

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows, curious how the cheerleader decided to talk to her rather than Santana or Brittany.

 _From Rachel: Of course. What would you like to talk about?_

She let out a soft groan and fell back. "Of course"? That already screams "throw all of your insults at me" in terms of their previous relationship.

Her phone rang again.

 _From Quinn F.: Would it be okay if I can come over to your place? A call or text probably won't help at all._

She was taken aback by this. A self-invitation to the Berry household from a daughter of the Fabrays. Usually when a girl wants to talk in person, she would invite the other side to her house, not the other way around. But perhaps it made more sense in their case due to the strained relationship between their families. With Quinn's family, her parents were highly religious so they were against anything LGBT, especially Rachel's gay dads. It was enough for them to not welcome the diva, herself, or even Santana and Brittany when the two became a couple. Inviting herself to the Berry household would have been easily turned into Cheerios practice in a conversation at home.

 _From Rachel: Um… Sure. I don't see a problem with that._

She heard the doorbell and made her way downstairs, only to find the front door open. Her heart suddenly dropped when she found the Unholy Trinity at the front door. It was a bit scary how they've already arrived a few seconds after she sent the text, but she was too scared to question the possibility.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when one of them cleared her throat. "Um… hi… welcome. Y-you came over pretty fast…" she said quietly, scared they might attack her.

"Thanks for inviting us," Quinn said," But you should really reconsider where you put your spare key." She held up a familiar key with a star glued onto it. She held it out to the diva who carefully took it, her face red in embarrassment.

"Sorry… that was my dads' idea. Um… I remember only inviting Quinn so-"

"Relax, Berry. We're just here to make sure you don't run," Santana said with an annoyed scoff.

"I-I see… Um… do you all want to go downstairs? If you want, I can take out the leftover wine coolers from that party a while back." She proceeded to the kitchen, fetching out a case of the drink.

"Don't mind if we do," Santana said before dragging Brittany to the basement. "We'll see you there."

Quinn quickly stopped them, sharing a brief look with the two. "Um... You two can go downstairs. I want to talk to Rachel in private."

Santana quirked an eyebrow and looked at Brittany who teasingly wiggled hers. Quinn rolled her eyes and shot them a look that read "Get your mind out of the gutters". She took the wine coolers out of Rachel's hands before placing the case into Santana's hold, taking hold of a bottle for herself. "I'll call you guys when we're done."

"Suit yourself. Have fun with your conversation. Come on, Britt Britt." The Latina took hold of her girlfriend's hand before taking her downstairs.

Quinn waited for a moment, folding her arms and looking at the ceiling, recognizing the giggles that came from the two. "Santana! Don't even think about doing it on her couch!"

 _"Bitch!"_ called the brunette from the basement.

"It's _her_ house, San! Save it for B's house!"

They heard a loud groan from the staircase. _"Ugh! Fine! But we're taking all of the wine coolers!"_

Quinn let out a small scoff before looking at Rachel who was a bit disturbed at the exchange. "Sorry about that. Those two don't know how to keep their hands to themselves, sometimes."

The diva looked at her before shaking her head, trying to get the image of the two cheerleaders being intimate out of her head. "Th-that's fine. Um... So you wanted to talk?" She tensed when she saw the devious smile on the blonde's face.

"Mind if we go up to your room for that?"

* * *

Rachel took a seat at her bed and looked at Quinn who stared at the wall that had some photos scattered around. "If you came in here to make fun of me, you can start," the brunette said.

"No. Just admiring it. I never really considered making a collage on my own bedroom wall that highlights everything." She softly smiled at the photo of the Unholy Trinity when they were singing "My Life Would Suck Without You" to Mr. Schuester after Sectionals. "I'm surprised you keep track of everyone in the club."

Rachel stood up before going to her side, looking at the photos. "It's only been a year, but I couldn't help it. Out of all the clubs I've joined, it was the only one that made me feel accepted even with all of the drama I've caused."

"Just to expect from McKinley's biggest diva."

Rachel nervously wrung her fingers together, unable to find herself looking at the Cheerio. "A-about that... I'm really sorry about the way I acted before Sectionals... It was wrong of me and you did amazing on that solo with Sam and-"

"You really don't need to force yourself, Rachel. I get it. You're so used to the spotlight that you lose yourself when someone else takes it."

"Y-yeah, but-"

"Yeah… it'd be great if you wouldn't make such a big scene to get what you want, but doesn't everyone? As long as we all have the same end goal for this club, all is well, right?"

"I suppose so…" Rachel looked back at the photos, seeing how she never really had photos with any of the Cheerios given their strained relationship in the beginning. She nervously bit her lower lip before looking at Quinn who took a sip of her drink. "So… was there anything on your mind when you wanted to talk to me? It seemed a little urgent when you came in right after I told you it was okay for you to come over."

The blonde softly smiled. The diva noticed there was a hint of sadness in her eyes when they met. The Cheerio took a seat on the bed, taking another sip. She held out the bottle but found it gently pushed back to her.

"Having Brittany throw up on me during that assembly makes me a little sick when I think of drinking," Rachel said sheepishly.

Quinn let out a small laugh before placing the bottle onto the bedside table. She played with the hem of her skirt before looking at the diva. "So what are your feelings with Finn at the moment? I see you chasing him from time to time after breaking up."

Rachel was taken aback by this. Her voice sounded hurt as if she still may have feelings. Of course, it may have been obvious given the Valentine's Day incident that led to Quinn breaking up with Sam and causing tension between the four of them and Santana. Brittany found out about it when the shortest of the Trinity refused to kiss her for a few days and had to lecture her girlfriend about interfering with other people's relationship. Rachel and Finn have not really been on speaking terms since then but it didn't mean she doesn't still have feelings for him.

She took a seat next to the head Cheerio. "Would it be wrong if I do?"

"Not really. I don't have control over who you like. I'm just curious because of how you always look at him."

"I see… What about you, Quinn? Do you still have feelings for him?"

Quinn shook her head. "As much as I hate to admit it, I really don't. I always thought I did, but thinking back… it was more of the pressure from my parents on being perfect and making sure I'm the top bitch of this school. After talking to Lauren and being reminded of my past, it made more sense that I forced myself to change for the worst… That was when I realized my feelings belong to someone else."

Rachel looked into the taller girl's hazel eyes, sensing a longing in them as if she never really felt love in her whole life. "What's he like?"

Quinn couldn't help but to smile. "I've had my eyes on him for a while. Always from afar because the way things worked make it as if we don't belong together. He's always passionate about his goals and does his best to reach them. He feels like an outsider even if he has friends. I want to help him but I can't due to the pressure from my parents."

"But you're parents are giving you more freedom now, aren't they? Surely that will let you talk to him and tell him how you feel."

"And then what? He'll just reject me. He likes someone else so I can't risk it."

Rachel raised her eyebrows as she looked at the blonde. "Quinn Fabray, are you scared to talk to the person you have feelings for? I don't understand. You're the head Cheerio and everyone moves away when you're walking down the hall. What is there to be afraid of?"

"Because every time I show signs, he never gets them." She let out another laugh. "Kind of pathetic, right? I always get the guy I want but I can't seem to get this one."

"You must really like him to feel like this…"

"I guess so…" She looked back at the diva before leaning close. "You… won't tell anyone about this, right? A secret between... friends."

Rachel found herself frozen, seeing how close the blonde was to her much like what happened in the auditorium. "W-well... I-I can promise you that. But why me?"

Quinn blinked to look away for a moment. "Well... it's a little embarrassing to think about it. Head Cheerio smitten over someone that she's not allowed to be with and most likely unrequited no matter what she does. Santana would make fun of me to no end and if I tell Brittany, she'll tell Santana. You're the closest girl I know that I can trust this information with." She looked into the diva's eyes. "Please?"

Rachel nervously pursed her lips before giving a nod. "Okay. I promise you tha-" She was cut off when the blonde took hold of her and planted a kiss to her cheek. She let out a soft whimper when she felt the girl's tongue against her cheek. "Qu-Quinn... Um..."

Quinn pulled away, her eyes wide in shock of what she did to the diva. "W-wine cooler... Uh... Must have gotten a little weird with the wine cooler..." She stood up, taking hold of the bottle and going to the door. "I... I should go... Sorry about that. I'll see you at school." She ran out as the diva couldn't help but to stare, unable to properly react to what happened.

* * *

 ** _This chapter was much longer than previous ones, but mainly to help develop the characters more. I know there are still some inconsistencies so if anyone wants to lend a hand, please do so._**

 ** _And to the reader asking about how much Quinn likes Rachel, the title of the story says all. Hints were also placed in this chapter and hopefully I can elaborate more in the next chapter. This is my very first romance fic that doesn't involve supernatural elements in the past 4 years so please bear with me. I'll do my best._**

 ** _Next chapter might not be out for a while. I have a personal project to finish ASAP for another fandom as well as working on other stories so please be patient._**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters._**

 ** _I actually have a few more chapters done because finals are over and I have another month before my summer job starts. I also apologize for the cliffhangers. I love them too much to not use. It helps with the shock factor from time to time. Now please enjoy Chapter 5!_**

* * *

"You _kissed_ her," Santana stated matter-of-factly as the three were in Brittany's bedroom. After being dragged out of the Berry Oscar Room, the couple were taken to the Pierce household, dizzy from the wine coolers and what happened after drinking. "You kissed Berry, Q! What were you thinking?!"

"Even I don't know! I just- I just went for it for some reason!"

"What did she say?" Brittany asked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her cheer captain. "Was she swooned?"

Quinn slowly blinked, surprised at the word used by the ditzy cheerleader. "Wha- N-no! She said nothing! She was in complete shock because I was an idiot to just kiss her even on the cheek! Oh my God, she's going to hate me more than she already does!"

"Q... don't say that..." Brittany took hold of the shorter blonde and pulled her onto the bed. "Why would Rachel hate you?"

"Gee, Brittany. I dunno. Maybe the fact that I have tormented her ever since we've joined the Cheerios and even when we're in glee club. Throwing slushies in her face and trashing her MySpace videos. Yeah. Sure. I'm trying to be nice to her now but knowing her and everyone else in the glee club, they'll think I'm using her to destroy her at Prom!" She fell back onto the bed, her arms covering her face. "I really shouldn't have taken that wine cooler..."

Santana folded her arms before letting out a sigh. "I really can't disagree with that statement because we have treated that hobbit like crap the past three years. But." She laid down next to the blonde. "You do know that you're Lucy Quinn Fabray. One of the most badass girls in McKinley and pretty much the HBIC. Why can't you use that to your advantage to fight that fear?"

"Because I can't fight like you, S... I have fought for so long to be at the top... So many things have happened to get there and we've fought so many times over that title... One wrong move and I'm down at the bottom... much like how I was before I came to McKinley..."

"Hey..." Santana turned to face the blonde, using her arm to prop up her arm. "Look at me, Q. What makes you think you'll fall to the bottom just for liking a girl?"

Quinn turned away at this, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes. "I just... Things went crazy when I became pregnant... People viewed me as a slut because I slept with Puck and got pregnant... I had to fight Sue to get back onto the Cheerios when the new school year started... My mom is still pressuring me even though she's more lax about how I live my life... But not enough for this..."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"I dunno..." Tears started to well up in her eyes as she laid in the bed. "I just don't know..."

Brittany gently brushed stray strands of hair away from Quinn's face in comfort. "Just tell us when you want to talk about it... Having it with feelings makes things better."

"Besides. You're talking with the school's biggest bisexual and openly lesbian relationship. We're your friends so you're free to use us about this type of situation."

"Yea. Santana was yelling at people and picking fights because she was afraid of being a lesbian. She learned to accept it after a while and now look at us. Perfectly happy."

Quinn let out a soft laugh, happy to hear her friend's childlike innocence in her voice. "I wish it can be that easy for me, Britt... I wish..."

"So what do you want to do? Wait until graduation to land a big one on that hobbit?" Santana asked, resting her head on Quinn's shoulder, gently rubbing her arm in comfort.

"I want to wait... Fight that temptation again... Still try to be on her good side without talking to her... I have to wait... Because I don't know how she'll react the next time we see each other..."

"And Glee?"

The head Cheerio took in a deep breath. She completely forgot that she couldn't miss out club meetings. With Nationals coming up, they had to practice and perfect their skills. Mr. Shue wouldn't accept absences during preparations so she has no choice but to attend. And with glee club, she has no choice but to see Rachel. "Try to not talk... Still work on our assignments, but I can't talk to her... Not after today..."

The couple looked at each other, their hearts breaking to see their friend so hurt about the situation.

* * *

"Rachel! Rachel, wait up!" A hand took hold of the diva's shoulder, making her stop and turn to find a familiar football player.

"What do you want, Finn?" She asked, albeit annoyed.

The quarterback looked at her, raising his arms in confusion. "What's going on? You've been completely out of it during all of our glee club meetings. You've been really quiet, not putting in any opinions on your solos, you're not even fighting with Santana or Kurt. This isn't like you and we're getting worried."

"And? Aren't they happy that I'm not speaking up? They're always complaining about how much of a diva I am so they should at least be happy I'm staying quiet for once."

"For a whole month? Rachel, you know that's not you."

"Yeah, well I'm kind of dealing with personal problems right now. Things have gotten really crazy and I really need some space. I'm sorry, Finn." She broke out of his hold before going to class, leaving the boy speechless.

She couldn't help it. It's been a month ever since Quinn kissed her. It left her shocked and confused because of how sudden it was. It probably made the flirting make much more sense but it just didn't seem to sit right with her. The head Cheerio has been avoiding her ever since. Ignoring her when walking down the hallway, not answering any of her texts or calls, not even looking her way during glee club and sitting on the ends of the room as if she was the plague.

But it couldn't be helped, right? Quinn liked someone else and to have her suddenly act like that probably made her feel bad about taking action on someone else would have hurt her. It might have reminded her of what happened with Puck and getting pregnant with Beth, or when she cheated on Sam during Valentine's Day. Even if it was just a kiss to the cheek, it might have affected the blonde negatively after pouring her heart out about this guy she's liked for a long time. Kissing a _girl_ , to be more specific.

She continued her way through the halls towards her next class, not noticing two pairs of eyes looking at her in worry. "Something definitely happened between her and Quinn, Kurt," Mercedes murmured, saddened by her friend's current state. "As much as I love singing more in glee club, it hurts to see her like this."

The boy quickly gave a nod, his finger raised to his lips as he thought. "We should really get to the bottom of this. The air is always heavy now and those two never really said anything about it when it first started. Santana and Brittany seem to have an idea, but I guess they swore to secrecy for Quinn's sake."

"Then we should probably talk to Quinn if we can't talk to anyone else. She might be able to give us some clues as to why this is happening."

"Agreed."

* * *

Quinn looked at the two standing in front of her as she sat in the choir room. Their arms were folded as they stared down at the head Cheerio. She looked down, knowing those two were close to Rachel and only now realized how much the girl has fallen since their... incident.

"Quinn. Is there something you'd like to tell us? Something about you and Rachel?" Mercedes asked. Quinn didn't like that tone in her voice. It was the same one from when she took her in after being kicked out last year. One that was filled with concern and the motherly love she never got at the time.

"There's nothing wrong, Mercedes. I really don't see why you would think that."

"Then look me in the eyes and say nothing is wrong between you and Rachel."

Quinn didn't let her gaze leave the floor as she hugged her arms, not wanting to admit her secret to her friend. She heard the sound of a chair moving across the floor before stopping in front of her. A familiar black pair of shoes on either side.

"Quinn. We're really worried. We haven't seen Rachel this broken ever since her breakup with Finn," Kurt said, hoping he can urge her to look at him. "And you've been really quiet and I think your grades are starting to slip from this behavior." He looked at her and noticed she took deep yet shaky breaths to calm down. "Quinn. Answer this question for us: do you like Rachel Berry? Friendly or romantically? The second one is optional."

Quinn wrung her fingers together, unsure how to answer to the two. She viewed Mercedes as a sister ever since she was taken in. They bonded more after that even though there were hormonal issues during her pregnancy. She felt safer trusting her with small secrets like her love for reading geeky books or having to wear glasses as a child before getting surgery for her eyesight. They were small so she couldn't tell her about something as big as this.

Kurt... Kurt was different. Their relationship is quiet due to how they never really talk to one another, but they have had bumps on the road. Her family always had suspicions about his sexuality so they wanted her to avoid him at all cost. She never paid any heed to it, but still stood to the side and laughed whenever he was bullied. They weren't on speaking terms due to her fear of him holding a grudge against her being a bystander, but they slowly accepted each other through glee.

"Do I really have to answer that?" she asked.

"If you want to fix this problem you have to Rachel, yes. We want to help as much as we can."

"But I don't want your help."

"Don't say that, Quinn." Mercedes took a seat next to her. "It's been a month and we're scared of what could happen if this continues. We know you're fragile so it's best to let it all out. Does Santana or Brittany know what's going on?"

Quinn gave a shaky nod. "But they can't tell you... They promised me they wouldn't and that they wouldn't interfere."

"Quinn, that's not safe for either of you. You should try to talk to her. You wanted to be friends with her, didn't you? You asked her to go to Prom with you if either of you don't have dates and helped her with stopping the jocks from giving her slushie facials every day. If you really want to be her friend, it's best to talk to her."

"I really shouldn't... I just can't."

"Why not?"

"Because you're afraid of your true feelings," Kurt said, making Quinn look at him. "We thought of the possibility. Just need to confirm it." He rested a hand on hers in comfort. "If you are what you think you are, we won't tell anyone, not even the glee club. No one will know until you figure it out for yourself."

Tears started to fall as the girl looked at him. "Wh-why would you do this for me...? After everything that's happened..."

"Plenty of us have been in your shoes. And the glee club is filled with those willing to watch out for one another. That's how we do things. Besides, what's going on now is similar to what Santana went through. You two just have different ways of expressing it."

"We won't tell anyone about this, Quinn. Not even Mr. Schue," Mercedes said," But you have to talk it out with Rachel. It hurts seeing you two like this and it will affect the club really badly if this continues. If one falls, so will the rest. We don't want you doing that to yourself." She pulled the blonde into a hug. "Just let it out... We're right here." She felt the blonde crying into her arms, gently stroking her back in comfort. She looked at Kurt who grew worried about the head Cheerio breaking down in front of them.

* * *

"So we knew. So what? She told us to not do anything to interfere," Santana said with a scoff as the four sat in the library. "As much as I'd love to poke fun of her having these feelings, it's the first time she's like this about a person."

"Well we have to do something," Mercedes snapped," What is going on between those two will clearly drag everyone down by the time Nationals come closer. And it hurts to see those two so upset about whatever happened between them. Can't you tell us now that we have some clue about why she's like this?"

"We promised her we wouldn't," Brittany pouted," We can't break a promise."

Kurt scratched his temple in thought before looking at the Cheerios. "Must be really serious for you two to keep a secret from fellow glee kids."

Santana rolled her eyes. "This is Quinn we're talking about. Sure, we stab each other in the backs so many times, but if this involves a secret like this, we don't have a choice but stay at the side until she's ready."

"Santana, it's been a month. We can't just sit by and let them sit around moping. I know this sounds selfish but we need Rachel for Nationals and if she's being this hung up about Quinn, we have to do something."

"Well you better have a plan because we can't touch Berry."

"Why not?"

"Also part of that promise."

Kurt raised his eyebrows. Of the two years they've spent time with the Latina, she would often make jabs at all of the glee club members without mercy. Insults, names, maybe a slap or two. She would often interfere with other people's relationships for her own gain so to have her sit out on a promise was too good to believe.

"Oh please, Lady Hummel. I have my soft side when it comes to people who aren't Brittany," the Latina snapped as if she read his mind. "Sure, I helped you come back to McKinley to make sure I can get votes for Prom Queen but I gotta admit. I miss you and your flamboyant ways. We need a diva that can cancel out the hobbit. No offense, 'cedes."

"Well we have to do something. Stage an intervention of some sort between the two of them and have them talk about what happened."

"You really think those two would want to talk after what happened? I've seen Rachel's face and she looks like a kicked puppy whenever she lays eyes on Quinn. Shocked and scared and unable to trust her."

"Quinn is just sad... She was crying on my bed for hours..." Brittany murmured, remembering how heartbreaking the scene was. "Santana and I couldn't do anything to make her feel better or talk to Rachel..."

"Did Quinn say anything when you talked to her?"

"Barely. But the way she looked already gave us enough answers to talk to you two about it," Mercedes said," And clearly you two know the most about her and what she's going through."

The two looked down in guilt, unsure what to say. Kurt leaned forward. "If you really want to help her, you have to trust us on this."

* * *

Rachel opened up her locker and looked at the photos she had set up. Some of them were similar to the ones on her room but many were filled with Broadway and a notepad for her to write down her goals for the week. She ran her hand over it, seeing how she hasn't really written anything on it ever since Quinn kissed her. It just felt so confusing for her and she couldn't find a set goal for the next few weeks. She's been trying her best to focus on Nationals but the pressure didn't help with her ongoing problem.

She took out the books she needed and closed the door, only to hit head against it. She let out a soft groan before hitting her head repeatedly. She wanted to get that moment out of her head. It's been a month but it was all she could think about since so many questions rang through her head about it. She would have forgotten about it after telling someone but she just couldn't. Someone would have gotten the wrong idea and word will spread and ruin their new friendship. Quinn has been avoiding her so she couldn't confront her at all.

"What the hell did you do to me, Quinn..." she softly muttered to herself.

A small fleck seemed to have caught the corner of her eye as she found a folded piece of paper on the floor with a gold star on it. The corner was frayed as if someone tried to jam it into the slits on the lockers. She wasn't sure how she didn't see it before but she picked it up anyways. She carefully opened it up.

Hey, Rach. Would it be okay if you can meet Mercedes and I in the choir room after school? I know we don't have Glee rehearsals today but maybe we can have a mini diva-off to warm up. You've been feeling down so we hope this can cheer you up. -Kurt.

The diva's eyebrows furrowed at the request. Knowing those two, it would have been easier if they had it during club meetings to put in a vote or let everyone have fun when they sing. A diva-off wouldn't be complete without having people vote.

She looked at the note again before letting out a sigh. Perhaps a private one wouldn't hurt. Quinn won't be there so at least she'll be able to concentrate.

* * *

"I really don't see a need to go to the choir room when we don't even have rehearsals," Quinn groaned as the Unholy Trinity walked through the halls. They actually didn't have Cheerios practice, either. Their rehearsal schedule has been scattered after losing Regionals but it didn't mean that Sue was going to show mercy to any of the girls whenever they meet.

"Well it's to work on the assignment Mr. Shue gave us this week," Santana snapped," Britt and I want to work on a song and it's been way too long since the Unholy Trinity performed together."

"Does it have to be this week?"

"It'll be fun, Q," Brittany grinned," All three of us being beautiful badasses."

The three walked into the choir room. "Sure, but I don't think 'bonding' will fit for a trio." She slowly went to a stop when she found Rachel sitting in her usual spot with Kurt and Mercedes standing at the piano.

"What's going on here?" the diva asked as she stood up.

Quinn folded her arms and looked at her friends. "Okay. Why did you bring me here if _she's_ going to be?"

"An intervention," Kurt said as he played with his hair. "You two need to talk things out."

"We have nothing to talk about, Kurt," Rachel quipped," We are here to warm up."

"Can it, midget. You two need to sit your asses down and listen to what we have to say," the Latina snapped as she walked closer to the shorter brunette and easing her back into her seat. She looked over at Quinn. "Sit down, Q."

Quinn looked at her friend before reluctantly sitting down a few chairs from the diva. She let out a small groan when Brittany pushed her chair closer to the other girl. "Britt-"

"Santana's orders," the blonde said before petting Quinn's head in comfort. She went over to the others who faced the two.

"I know you'll hate this but this is for your own good," Kurt said, folding his arms as he looked at the two. "Things have been really tense the past month between you two and everyone has been getting worried. No one knows what's going on but the four of us have a pretty good idea."

"This is ridiculous. You're talking about a nonexistent problem that does not require a talk between the two of us," Quinn said. She stood up but was stopped by Santana.

"No, Q. We don't know how much Berry knows, but we do know that you two have to make up for what happened. I'm not telling you to do something crazy. I just want you to talk to the hobbit and make nice with her again."

"San-"

"No, Q. Do this for us. Do this for Glee Club. If it will make you feel any better, I'll call her by her name. Just talk to her."

"We don't have anything to talk about, Santana," Rachel said, trying to hide the hurt in her voice. "We truly don't."

"You don't have to lie, Rachel. You always look hurt whenever you two avoid each other," Brittany said. "You should be friends by now."

"We'll be outside the choir room so just tell us if you need anything," Mercedes said, knowing it might take a while. "But this is all for your own good."

Santana eased Quinn back into her seat before the four left the room. "Don't even think about trying to leave. We'll be watching all of these doors." She closed the door, leaving the two in silence.

* * *

"They'll be okay, right?" Brittany asked as she looked through the small window on the door.

"Well they'll have no choice but to talk about it," Kurt said. "Something happened and we have to get to the bottom of it." He looked at his phone to check the time. "We have about an hour and a half before school closes. Do you girls want me to stop by the Lima Bean and grab drinks for when we wait?"

"That would be great," Mercedes said.

"I'll go with you. This might as well be some kind of team effort if we want those two to make up," Santana said sheepishly. "And I want to talk to Lady Hummel for a bit. Britt. Will that be okay?"

The blonde gave a nod, knowing it might be time to explain the whole situation to the two if possible. "Okay. I'll talk to Mercedes while you're gone."

"Okay. We'll be back as soon as we can." The two took off, leaving the Cheerio and proud diva to themselves.

Brittany smiled and happily hopped in her spot, glad they're able to have a plan to bring their friends together. She looked at Mercedes. "Would it be bad if I ask them to be on Fondue for Two after they talk?"

Mercedes looked at her, taken aback by the comment before laughing. "I swear, I still don't know how you and Santana are dating."

The blonde looked at her before shrugging her shoulders and looking back into the room, waiting for the conversation to come.

* * *

 _ **And that's Chapter 5! I find the dynamic between Brittana and Kurtcedes to be quite mysterious and wanted to see if I can explore it a little more while we go through the FaBerry situation. Since they're the closest to their respective heroines, it would be a good chance to let them have fun with letting their ship come together through the struggles. Next chapter will have the first half covering their thoughts on the situation and the second half will focus on FaBerry. This story will be taking the relationship development more slowly. Prom might be in Chapter 8 so I'm not sure when the confession will come. Rachel's feelings about Quinn is still a jumble so we just have to watch the development.**_


	6. Chapter 6

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters._**

* * *

"So Berry hasn't told you guys anything?" Santana inquired as the two waited in line to order their coffee. "I thought you two were gay buds."

Kurt rolled his eyes at the comment. "Not exactly. We're friends, but she hasn't said anything the past month. Not even Finn knows what's going on since she brushes him off every time he tries to talk to her. It's off because we both know how obsessed she is with him."

"Well I probably can tell you in her place, but you have to answer me this: how did you find out about Quinn? Before she actually admitted to you two."

Kurt looked at the Latina and noticed the look in her eyes. The same look she usually tries to hide whenever she's worried about Brittany or when she has to do work for Sue against the glee club. He knew it was serious for the Latina to show genuine concern about the well-being of others.

"Rachel was explaining to us about when it all started. Protecting her from slushie facials, giving said facials to the jocks in her defense, making sure us glee kids closest to her don't get hurt, either. Sure, harsh words between the two were thrown here and there this year, but we also noticed how Quinn looked at her. Just hearing Rachel's stories made it seem quite obvious."

"So why help?"

Kurt smiled, knowing she would ask the same question. "I was in the closet even though my behavior was more obvious. Glee club made me feel accepted and I want to give back. Once I heard your story with Brittany, I knew there was something going on here that might be able to give a little push to those who are scared. Luckily, they were able to help you. Quinn is in a different situation so she'll have a much harder time accepting herself and the one she loves. Besides, it would be interesting to see how this will all play out between those two. McKinley's biggest diva and Head Cheerio."

Santana couldn't help but to smile. Kurt couldn't return until after Regionals until she was able to straighten out Karofsky. He was being quite stubborn when she was being outed because their initial vow as beards has been broken once the whole school knew. Luckily her acceptance of herself was able to convince him to stop his ways and allow Kurt to return without fear under their protection. Of course, the flamboyant young man also caught wind of her coming out and hugged her once he laid eyes on her, happy she was able to overcome such obstacle. The two were able to be on good terms even if they didn't always see eye to eye.

"Well I'm glad you feel that way, Kurt. It's nice to have the only two openly gay people to back her up when she needs help."

"Agreed. Now It's time for your explanation."

"Just promise you won't scream and I'll tell you. But I can't tell you everything. Just enough for you to understand the tension between those two lovebirds."

"Understood."

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait... So she's liked Rachel since freshman year?" Mercedes asked as she sat outside one of the doors with Brittany while they played a game of checkers.

"She never told us until recently," the blonde said, moving a piece. "But being Head Cheerio and needing to date a quarterback makes her unable to tell Rachel how she feels."

"That's kinda sad... But it kind of makes sense. Her parents have been pretty rough on her after everything that's happened last year. Always wanting her to be perfect, but then kicking her out when they found out she was pregnant... Must be hard..."

"That's why she doesn't want us to tell anybody... She'll probably be mad at me for telling you, Mercedes. I'm sorry."

"Well don't apologize. I'm sure she'll understand that you want what's best for her. You guys are best friends so nothing should change that."

Brittany couldn't help but to smile. "Thanks, Mercedes. But I know there's more than what I told you. Something that made things messy between the two of them."

Mercedes leaned closer, sensing the concern and fear in the blonde's voice and blue eyes.

* * *

"She did what?!" Kurt exclaimed as Santana drove him back to school.

"Hey. You promised to not scream," the Latina snapped in annoyance before pulling up to a red light.

"I'm sorry, but that was a total bombshell of information that you just gave me. She _kissed_ Rachel."

"On the cheek. Nothing to scream about. She made out with Brittany during freshman year. I'm pretty sure she enjoyed it a little bit even though she said otherwise." She started to drive again when the light turned green.

"It might not be a big deal to Quinn, but it probably is for Rachel. It probably threw her off so bad that she-" He stopped before remembering his friend's current state. He slumped back in his seat. "Oh my God… That explains everything."

"And now you know, Porcelain."

"They broke each other…"

"Yep."

"What will Finn say if he finds out…?"

Santana stopped the car rather abruptly at another red light. "Okay, you are _not_ telling Finnosence about this. At least not until those two figure out whatever the hell is going on. His first girlfriend pretty much used him as a beard to hide her feelings for his ex-girlfriend. We don't even know if the midget was doing the same thing."

"Wha- Rachel? Okay, I know she has two gay dads but that does not mean she's also gay."

"I know, I know. But hear me out. We're just speculating to make Q feel better. Sure, she's easy to read most of the time, but have you've seen her when she's talking to Quinn?"

"You mean taking jabs to get Finn for herself?"

"And the look in her eyes?"

"Pure jealousy and want-" He stopped again before looking at the Latina. "Okay, you are really planting seeds in my head now."

"Maybe. We just have to see what happens if they even talk to each other." She turned into the school parking lot and parked in her usual spot next to Brittany and Quinn's cars.

"You know… I'm really surprised at how supportive you are of her feelings, Santana. Pretty admirable after all the drama these past two years," Kurt said while closing the car door and assisting the Cheerio to the school.

"Well don't get used to it, Lady Hummel. After all the shit that happened, it's best if we can at least give her some closure. She's pretty much been a bitch like how I was even if it was more forced. She's just soft now because she finally feels close enough to you guys to let some of it out. She's just shy about it."

Kurt's face softened, touched that the Cheerios can feel close to the club. "Well at least she's comfortable enough to show this kind of vulnerability. Same for you."

"Just don't tell anyone about this, Kurt. We have reputations to uphold."

"Got it, Satan." This received a glare from the Latina before the two laughed.

* * *

Silence filled the choir room as the two sat in their seats. It was so quiet that it was almost suffocating for the both of them.

"So… I'm guessing they won't let us out until we talk…" Rachel said softly, hoping to break the tension.

"Knowing Santana and Kurt, most likely," Quinn replied albeit harshly. It was clear that she was angry about the lie and how her friends decided to interfere after promising. The biggest problem is that Rachel doesn't know that the anger wasn't directed to her.

The brunette looked at her hands as she twiddled her thumbs. She was right. The fierce Cheerio would always act on her threats when needed and her best friend would also consider going through actions if it will benefit himself and those around him. But perhaps it was a chance for her to ask about what happened. After a whole month of avoiding each other, this might as well be the only chance for them to talk and fix the problem at hand.

"Quinn… Um… About what happened in my room last month…"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Rachel bit her lower lip in worry, seeing how fast it took for the blonde to answer. She stood up. "I-I'm serious, Quinn… You… you kissed me that day. Without any signs or warnings-"

Quinn let out a short laugh. "Yeah. Sure."

The diva tried to glare at the head Cheerio in anger but knew what she's attempting is nothing from the blonde's usual glare. "Quinn, please stop ignoring this. I just want to know why. Why did you tell me about this guy you've fallen in love with and not Santana or Brittany, your friends who have been with you ever since you arrived at McKinley? Why did you kiss me on the cheek with tongue after I promised I wouldn't tell anyone? It just doesn't make any sense!" She was getting impatient. If this was her only chance to get answers out of Quinn, she definitely would not accept the blonde deflecting her questions.

She tensed when the head Cheerio stood up from her seat, slowly walking closer to the brunette. Her lips twisted into her signature smirk as she leaned close to the girl, making the shorter girl panic a little bit. "Do you really want to know the reason, Berry? I'm sure you're very curious about my behavior towards you during this year."

"W-well, I-" Rachel stopped when Quinn took hold of her chin to make her look at the blonde in the eyes. "Q-Quinn...? I... um..."

"You...?" Her smirk widened when the diva remained frozen. She pulled away before walking over to the piano. "Zizes released the story of my past. Chubby, full of acne, just the epitome of a loser. Always compared to my sister who was always beautiful and accomplished everything my parents asked for. I changed myself to be that perfect girl like her..." She traced her fingers over the keys, playing a few chords. "Fighting my way to the top when I first came to this school. Fighting that shy little girl I once was. It all fell apart when I was dumb enough to sleep with Puck and be pregnant with a perfect little girl... I was kicked out of my own home, kicked out of the Cheerios, my own parents divorced once everything reached a tipping point." She played a chord out of key. "But everything post-pregnancy didn't fall back perfectly. I still felt lost... I was still fighting that girl I once was... I tried to date Sam to show I still own my title as the Head Bitch of McKinley, but the guilt was eating me up inside. Just knowing that my heart belonged to someone else made it hard for me to cope and take things out on the wrong people..." She played a few more chords that Rachel quickly recognized.

"Ever since you performed this song at Regionals, it wouldn't stop playing in my head. You're always someone who had a set goal in mind and fought for it. Me? I just find myself lost no matter how hard I try. But it pains me to see that after everything that's happened, you only dedicate it to Finn. He's always on your mind, isn't he? The only guy at this school to ever show you kindness and you fall head over heels for him. It's that impression that makes people fall hopelessly in love."

Rachel tightly hugged her arms as she looked at the blonde. "Well... I couldn't have written it without your help. Nothing seemed to have gone right when it came to being with everyone. I just don't know what's missing."

"Then we both have our own problems to take care of." She carefully covered the keys. "There will always be secrets and insecurities we can't share to each other. Sure, some people may catch on, but there are certain people who must not know of those secrets." She looked at the brunette, her hazel eyes focusing on the diva.

Rachel tensed, unsure what the blonde will say. She took in a deep breath. "Is that why you won't tell me why you kissed me...?"

"Perhaps."

"Then why can't you tell me? I'm sure the others can't hear it if you say it quietly."

"It would be too soon. Only time will tell."

"So how long will it take for you to finally fess up and tell me?"

Quinn looked over at the trophy case where their Sectional and Regional trophies rested. "Perhaps... after Nationals. If we win, of course."

"Do you swear by that?"

"Of course. When would I ever lie to you? Don't answer that." She was quick to stop the diva from answering the question, knowing she will ramble about it. She carefully inspected the petite girl. How she was fiddling with the ends of her shirt and now avoiding eye contact in uncertainty. It looked adorable to the head Cheerio. A look she always saw from afar but forces herself to act out against it. It was something as small as lowering one's guard to make her weak to the knees and want to hold her in comfort. But she chose to keep these feelings away, knowing her feelings wouldn't be reciprocated so easily. She just wants the right time to confess but wasn't sure when.

"Qu-Quinn?"

She blinked and looked at the brunette, seeing how she was in a daze while looking at the girl. She cursed to herself for staring before composing herself. "Yes?"

"Well, I uh... I was wondering..." She fiddled with her hands again. "Well... I was wondering if we can still be friends until then... I promised to accompany you to Prom so um... I hope that offer still stands after everything that has happened."

The head Cheerio was quite shocked, unsure how to reply. She was aware that Rachel tries her best to keep promises but was sure that distancing herself may have deterred her away from keeping the promise. It was quite a shock to have her still remember and continue asking if the offer still stands. She couldn't help but to smile. "Sure. That would be great, she said, trying to hide the optimism in her voice. She noticed Rachel's eyes lit up from the answer.

"Th-thank you! I know we still have a month and we had this whole thing happening, but I didn't want to break a promise to you after everything that's happened. Thank you so much. I'm going to hug you now, okay?"

Quinn couldn't help but to laugh a little as the brunette pulled her into a hug. She gave the shorter girl a gentle squeeze in return, relishing the warm feeling.

"Oh! They're hugging!" Kurt squealed quietly as the four watched through the door window. "That's a good sign!"

"Did Quinn really tell Rachel about her feelings?" Brittany asked, her eyes glistening in hope.

Santana watched the two carefully but noticed their interactions. "Probably not. Berry's too giddy for someone to find out about McKinley's head bitch crush on her."

"At least they made up. Now we can relax a little bit before we go back to rehearsals," Mercedes said with a relieved sigh. "And now they're friends."

"Until Q spills the beans to her. We'll just have to wait and see." Santana quickly turned the door handle and opened the door, making the three jump back in caution. The Latina entered the room and held back a smirk when the two jumped apart when they heard the door open, their faces red in embarrassment. She folded her arms. "Well? Did you two make up?"

Quinn cleared her throat before folding her arms. "You can say that. We're going to Prom together. Jealous?"

"As if, Fabray." She couldn't help but to smile and quickly mouthed to the blonde. _"At least you're okay."_

Quinn smiled before giving a nod. She looked over at Rachel who was shyly playing with her hair, her back towards them to hide her face. "I'm gonna head home. Do you need a ride, Rach?"

The two looked at her, surprised of the nickname. Santana looked at the others at the doorway who were also shocked. "U-um... Sure. Thank you." Rachel quickly went to her usual seat to grab her bag before joining the head Cheerio. Quinn guided her out, giving a smile at the group as she left. She acted as if they weren't shocked of her behavior and continued on, hoping the diva next to her didn't catch on.

Once the two were out of earshot, the four looked at each other. "You guys heard that, right?" Mercedes asked, receiving nods.

"She's doing it!" Brittany suddenly squealed before pulling Santana in a hug. The two jumped around in joy. "Quinn's opening up!"

"That was definitely _not_ a result I was expecting..." Kurt murmured, still in shock. Mercedes gave a quick nod. There was really no way for Quinn to open up enough to call Rachel by a nickname.

* * *

Rachel fell back onto her bed, letting out a deep sigh she's been holding onto the whole car ride home. It was mostly quiet between the two and it was a little hard to make small talk. She was glad that she was able to make up with Quinn after everything that's happened. Of course, she's still worried about the secret Quinn is hiding that prevents her from explaining the kiss. It just didn't seem to sit right with her but she didn't want to disappoint the blonde. She wanted to become friends so the least she could do is let it go until her new friend is ready to tell the truth.

She looked at the Polaroid photo in her hands. Quinn apparently had a camera in her car and asked to take a photo before Rachel left. It was only one copy but the blonde insisted that Rachel would keep it. Perhaps she noticed there wasn't a photo of the two on the diva's wall and wanted to add this moment to it.

Rachel couldn't help but to smile at the thoughtfulness and held it close to her chest before letting out a content sigh. She rolled off of her bed and took hold of some double-sided tape, securing the photo onto the wall. She smiled again when she saw the beaming faces on the photo.

 _Let's enjoy Prom together, Quinn... Just the two of us..._

* * *

 _ **And that's Chapter 6. I know I might be straying from their original personalities a little bit, but I will try to keep it more consistent. If you have any advice, feel free to tell me. Constructive criticism is welcomed.**_

 _ **Next chapter may actually have Sue finally step in and allow the two to plan for their "date". Any other characters are up in the air so we'll just have to see.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Rachel opened up her locker and looked at the notepad hanging on the door, revealing a checklist for Prom. After making up with Quinn, she couldn't help but to feel excited about Prom even if it was just their junior year. Just her and Quinn... and Mercedes and Sam.

At first she thought it was strange how Quinn suddenly invited her to a motel one night without any further explanation. She wasn't sure what the Cheerio was up to until she saw Sam in the room tending to two small children. Hearing the story about Sam's father losing his job and his family being forced to live in a motel was too heartbreaking for the diva to not cry and hug the blonde jock in comfort. She promised to keep it all a secret by his request and follow Quinn to help out when needed. Kurt eventually followed once he caught wind of the situation so the four made a pact. Unfortunately, they were unable to keep their secret any longer when Finn confronted them about leaving the motel room after spying on them and reading the possibility in the school newspaper. She was quite offended at how Finn went to the extent of following them to the motel just to see if they were doing something suspicious. The two girls weren't even dating him so it felt like he really shouldn't be concerned enough to stalk them about it. She couldn't find herself talking to him after that even if Sam cleared the air and explained what happened and received the support from the glee club.

She truly felt bad for his situation and asked Quinn if it was okay if he could join them for Prom. Surprisingly, the blonde was able to agree and welcomed her ex-boyfriend with open arms. She was able to find one of her father's old suits for him to borrow and had to find a way to get him a date and budget accordingly so he wouldn't feel guilty about receiving their help. Luckily, they were able to get a hold of Mercedes who, at one point, decided not to attend Prom due to not having a date. The two friends knew they had some sort of chemistry together but never approached each other about it due to the boy's past relationships. They were able to convince her with their idea, knowing that everyone should be able to enjoy the night even if it's just with friends. She decided to join in and offered a way to help them get corsages for the event. Rachel was glad to be able to let them have their moment even if they're going as a group of friends.

Rachel carefully marked parts of the list with a star before looking at "corsage". She couldn't help but to ponder on what kind of corsage she should make either for herself or for Quinn. The head Cheerio did ask her if they can go together so the least she could do is exchange corsages.

She glanced over at Quinn who was standing at her locker to get her books for her next class. Surprisingly, she decided to not wear her Cheerios uniform today, allowing her blonde locks fall to her shoulders and frame her face. She was wearing a white dress with a soft grey cardigan and matching flats. It was a very simple outfit but on her, it was quite beautiful.

Rachel stopped upon realizing that she was staring. She quickly closed her locker before heading to class, not noticing the glance from the blonde down the hall.

* * *

Quinn slowly opened the door to Sue Sylvester's office. "Q! I've been expecting you," the coach said, not taking her eyes off of her journal. "Take a seat and I'll be right with you."

The younger blonde took in a deep breath before taking a seat, resting the red box she had with her on her lap. "You wanted to see me, Coach Sylvester?" she asked, knowing it may have to do with her going to school out of her Cheerios uniform.

"Yes, Q, and it is something that has caught my attention this year." She closed her journal before looking at her head Cheerio, her arms resting on her desk. "You've changed. I'm not sure if it's for the best or for the worst. You quit the Cheerios to stick with your Glee Club, yet you still allow yourself to be a Cheerio again after winning Regionals in show choir. And now look at you. Stripping yourself of your uniform."

"Coach Sylvester, I can explain-"

"You like her, don't you?"

Quinn was taken aback by the question. "E-excuse me?" She silently cursed to herself for stuttering in front of her coach.

Sue leaned closer, focusing only on the young blonde in front of her. "You like Rachel Berry, don't you? Not in a friendly way, to be more specific."

The blonde was left speechless. She was sure that she wouldn't show signs in front of her coach during practice or in the hallway if the older blonde was present. "How did-"

"It was obvious from day one." Sue stood up from her seat, walking up to the head Cheerio before taking a seat atop her desk. Her expression seemed to have softened a little. "You do know there's nothing wrong with that, right? Having feelings for someone even if the same gender."

"Coach, I just-" She stopped when her coach raised her hand to silence her.

"Does your family know?"

Quinn shook her head, making the older woman sigh. "Any idea on when you'll tell them?"

"I'm still thinking about it… But how did you find out?"

"The way you were treating Berry and her beloved Glee Club drastically changed. You defended her, defended them. When she broke up with Finn Hudson, you were so ecstatic yet never got back with him. That was when all of the pieces fell into place." She noticed the Cheerio twiddling her thumbs, her gaze towards the box as she bit her lower lip. "Q, you really shouldn't be afraid. I won't tell anyone. Just know that you have my full support."

Quinn looked at her, unable to believe her ears at Sue's words. "Really?"

"Of course. You have been under my watch for three years. The least I can do is make sure you'll be fine. Look at Santana. She's happy now, isn't she? But if you want to wait, so be it. Just know that you'll have to fess up at some point." She stood back up, folding her arms. She looked at the box in the younger blonde's hands. "I suppose you're handing in your uniform for this reason."

Quinn tightly held onto it. "Y-yeah… I figured it might be for the best… The Cheerios have been inactive so I thought it's better to wait until next year. There's only a month left and I want to spend it walking around normally." She held out the box.

Sue looked at it before back at the girl in front of her. She always saw the young Quinn Fabray as a teenaged version of herself given her drive to achieve what she wants even if it hurts others. She knew there was a soft side to her that she kept away all these years but figured it was something else. She actually didn't mind having her head Cheerio falling for a girl even if it was the co-captain of her rival club. She just wanted to make sure her girls are able to not stray too far from the task at hand and still be committed to cheerleading.

What happened with the cannon was simply a test. She wanted to be more adventurous with the routines her girls are putting on, but wasn't sure if they were human enough to think about it. She chose Brittany to be the one shot out of the cannon because she knew it was easier to manipulate the naïve blonde and the other two were quite protective of her. It was obvious they would quickly go to her rescue and reveal the softer side of them even if they deny it. It was quite a risk to put Regionals at stake, but at least her three favorite girls were able to make decisions for themselves before they graduate.

Sue looked at the box before pushing it back to her head Cheerio. "If you're going to return for your senior year, keep it. It will only collect dust in my office if it's going to wait four months for you."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Just make sure to be fully committed to the Cheerios and we'll be on our merry way. Now get the hell out of my office."

Quinn abruptly stood up from the command, a smile on her face. "Thank you, Coach Sylvester. I will do my best next year." She held the box close to her chest before leaving.

* * *

Quinn walked over to Rachel's locker and noticed she was talking to Finn. Her eyebrows raised when she noticed how angry the diva was with her arms folded and glaring at the titan. It couldn't be more obvious that they were arguing over something and she found herself walking over.

"I can't believe you're going to Prom with Quinn! You two hate each other!" Finn said, a hint of anger and annoyance in his voice.

"Look, Finn. Quinn and I have gone through some rough patches the past few months, but we're fine. We're friends now. And why are you so concerned? We're not dating anymore so you really should have no business on who I'm friends with."

Quinn couldn't help but to feel flattered at the brunette's words. "Aw~ Thanks, Rach," she said, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders and letting the two know of her presence. She offered a smile towards Finn. "Hi, Finn. Found a date to Prom yet?"

Finn seemed to have ignored the question, annoyed by the sudden appearance. "Quinn. Fess up. Since when did you start being friends with Rachel? You've done nothing but torment her for two whole years."

"Well after being pregnant and getting the support from the glee club, I figured it'd be best to just be nicer to everyone. Especially Rachel here. Oh yeah, did you get that herbal tea from my mom yet?"

Rachel brightened up from her mention of the gift. "Yes! Thank you so much, Quinn. After about two cups, it felt like I could breathe better and I was able to work on my range. I really owe you."

"No problem."

Finn looked at the two in disbelief. Quinn giving a gift to Rachel to improve her singing? He recalled seeing his ex-girlfriend taunting the diva for getting laryngitis or supporting her nose job. "Quinn, this isn't like you."

Quinn looked at him, making him tense at the cold look in her eyes. "There's really nothing wrong with changing, Finn. Yes, I have treated Rachel like garbage, but she was one of the few people in this school to support me. She bribed Jacob Ben Israel to not post that article on my pregnancy and came up with that song once the news broke out. You outed that news to my _parents_ after I tried so hard to keep it away from them. Yes, I do regret with sleeping with Puck and lying to you, but I can see the error in my ways. Being friends with Rachel is just a starting point. She was the number one victim in this school to be tormented by everyone who had access to slushies. But not once did you help her when she gets a slushie facial. I had to take it into my own hands this year even if it got my hands dirty. Even Brittany decided to push her away from a slushie attack and we all know she tends to have a slow reaction to it because she usually thinks it's a treat for her. At least she has the courage to do something you never did." She saw the fury in his eyes and felt Rachel tugging on her dress to warn her to stop before the quarterback would blow a fuse. She let out a sigh, hoping to calm down before she goes off on another rant. "Neither one of us will go to Prom with you, Finn. It may cost us Prom King and Queen votes, but I truly don't care anymore. I'll just try again next year with someone else. Hell, maybe even get Rachel nominated and let everyone vote for her and her talent. Use my popularity to spread the word." The bell rang, making her stop. She let go of Rachel before locking arms with her. "Let's go, Rach. We can't be late to class." She started to lead the diva away.

"You do know you're making a big mistake, Quinn!"

Quinn smiled to herself before waving him off with her free hand. "Not my problem!"

Rachel couldn't help but to stare as the two walked. She was actually in awe at the blonde's words for her and warding off Finn. She nervously pursed her lips before looking forward. "You know you didn't have to that."

"Oh, I know. I just wanted to. Finn must have been annoying you lately so it's probably better to step in so he won't bother you."

"Maybe… But enough about Finn. Why aren't you in your Cheerios uniform? I wanted to ask this morning but I didn't want to pry."

"I quit the Cheerios."

Rachel looked at her in shock. "Again? Quinn, you just reentered the Cheerios after we won Regionals. Being one has always been important to you. Coach Sylvester must have been furious."

Quinn let out a soft laugh as she led the brunette into their class. "It's fine. As long as I rejoin for our senior year, there will be nothing to worry about. The Cheerios don't have much to do so I really have no need to be on it for the time being."

"I see… I just don't want you to do anything too crazy."

"Helping the biggest loser in McKinley, becoming her friend and taking her to Prom. Yes. Quitting Cheerios is _definitely_ the craziest thing I've ever done," she said, sarcasm evident.

"Quinn." Rachel looked at the blonde, making her laugh. "I'm serious. I really don't want you to change so much. It feels like you're mostly doing it for... well me. I don't want you to force yourself and-"

"Rachel. This is our junior year and it's about to come to an end. It's best to try to spend it fully committed to Nationals and to turn over a new leaf. Besides, I can trust Santana and Brittany in keeping the team in shape while I'm gone. Perhaps you can also try. I'm sure you've had your regrets the past few years that you want to fix. Why not do that now before it's too late?" _Speak for yourself, Fabray... But you promised so just let it slide..._

Rachel tightly folded her hands as she looked down at them. "I suppose so... But just make sure that you're comfortable with your decisions. I know we just started being friends, but I just don't want anything to jeopardize it. People respect you and it would hurt to see all of it disappear when you're changing."

Quinn couldn't help but to smile, happy to see the diva so concerned for her well-being. It wasn't something that one would often hear due to how awkward it may be to express such deep feelings. She was grateful that the brunette let out that side of her. "Thanks, Rach. I know it's still surprising to you, but I have always wanted to call you by your real name. Just had to keep my HBIC image in check so sorry about all of those insults. Santana's trying her best to keep it to a minimum."

This earned a laugh from the brunette. It was quite obvious that the Latina was trying her best for Quinn's sake to not insult Rachel as often as she used to as long as Rachel did the same. The two actually caught her calling the diva some of her infamous nicknames like "RuPaul" or "hobbit" before cursing at herself and quickly fixing it. It was quite a humorous sight for the glee club to see her trying so hard to be nice to everyone and resist the Lima Heights side of her. But Rachel was grateful for the effort. It made her more confident in learning to be friends with the Unholy Trinity, a feat that would be considered impossible at McKinley for someone like her. Being in a diverse club like Glee sure had its perks.

She looked at Quinn again and noticed the green in the blonde's hazel eyes became more prominent than the past. It was quite a beautiful shade of green and it immediately sparked a form of inspiration for her. "Hey, Quinn... Can I ask you something?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the blonde who seemed to have done the same thing after getting her books ready.

"Sure. Ask away." The smile seemed to have never left Quinn's face as she thought about what her new friend could ask her.

"Well... It's about the corsages. I know the plan we made with Mercedes and Sam had us make our own corsages, but..."

"But?" Quinn's smile seemed to have widened in anticipation.

"Well since you have asked me to go with you to Prom, I thought it might be nice for us to make each other's corsages instead. I know we're just going as friends but because we were going to go by ourselves at first, it might be better if we can exchange them."

Touched, Quinn rested her chin on her hand. "That would be great. I look forward to what you have in mind for my corsage."

Rachel couldn't help but to feel giddy at the blonde's agreement to her idea. "G-great! I look forward to it!" she beamed in excitement.

* * *

Mercedes couldn't help but to feel amused as she found Rachel vigorously sketching in her notebook as they were in the former's mother's garden. The two wanted to spend the day figuring out ideas and designs for their corsages, but she never expected the brunette to be so excited about it. Then again, she did recall receiving a call from Quinn asking to put some light pink roses on reserve for a later date. Those two quickly put the pieces together for the proud diva to see that those two were definitely planning each other's corsages.

She cleared her throat, making her friend jump at the sound and look up. She tried to hide a smile when she saw the shorter diva's face turn a light shade of pink and hid the notebook. _"She makes this way too easy."_ She carefully shifted her position on the ground to be more comfortable. "So Rachel. Got any ideas on how you want to make yours yet?" she asked, curious of the brunette's thoughts. "A bracelet or a broach?"

Rachel soon let out a sigh, relieved that Mercedes didn't ask her about the actual design and her choice of flowers. "Um... I was thinking of a bracelet. Broaches are pretty difficult to position and can damage the dress. I hope it can be perfect because we might not be able to do this next year."

Mercedes just smiled as the girl continued to ramble on. "Is it for Quinn?"

Rachel's mouth went agape, making her friend laugh.

"You've been staring at the gardenias for an hour already. I know you would usually go with a white or pink corsage, but I'm pretty sure gardenias uses green and you would not want that going with your dress."

The diva pursed her lips as she held the notebook close to her chest. "Is it bad that I'm excited about this? I mean, I really want it to be perfect for her since she always loved Prom. We originally planned to go as friends but because she asked, I figured-"

"That you two can exchange corsages. I get it. And don't worry so much, Rachel. It's your first time doing something with Quinn as friends so of course you'll be excited. And didn't you say you always wanted to be her friend since freshman year?" She noticed her friend's face turn red, shocked that she would know of such information. This made Mercedes laugh again. "The last time we had a sleepover with Kurt, you were talking in your sleep. Mumbling something about Quinn's change in behavior and liking it. 'You're my shining knight in armor, Quinn' or 'Why can't we be friends? I'll be a Cheerio for it.'"

Rachel let out a loud groan and covered her face in embarrassment. "I can't believe I was sleep talking about that... This is so embarrassing."

"Well just know that Kurt and I never told anyone about it. But I'm actually really curious, Rachel. What's gotten you so excited?"

The question seemed to have thrown the diva off for a moment. She couldn't seem to find the right words to answer as words were jumbled in her head. Sure, she was happy that the two are now friends and have become close. A bit too quickly from an outsider's point. Ever since the two cleared up what happened in her room, she just gets so excited whenever she finds a chance to hang out with the former head Cheerio. Sometimes she ends up staring at her for some reason. Perhaps it was how she dressed. She still wore baby doll dresses but didn't necessarily style herself as the innocent, perfect girl like last year. She mostly wore them in confidence as proven by her different hairstyles. Sometimes they would be curled and styled for a more adult look or pull up the top portion with a few locks to frame her face.

She stopped, realizing she was fantasizing about the different outfits the blonde wore whenever she was out of her Cheerios uniform. Her face turned red and she looked down. "I-I don't know... This is kind of new to me so I kind of want to work it out with her before I make any conclusions… It's only been a few weeks since we became friends so I'm just not sure…"

"At least you two are getting along. Just let us know if you need any help. She's lived with me for a while so I know enough."

Rachel smiled and held her friend in a hug. "Thank you so much, Mercedes… I just really want things to work out between us…"

* * *

 _ **And that's Chapter 7! Rachel's feelings about Quinn are still mixed up but perhaps there's more than what she thinks of it.**_

 _ **Still working on the next chapter while working on another story and figuring out all of my other summer projects. Feel free to review!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee or its characters._

* * *

Quinn looked in the mirror as she smoothed out the skirt of her Prom dress. She looked at her friends who were seated on her bed in their own dresses. "Too much?"

"You're really asking us that?" Santana scoffed as she folded her arms. Brittany nudged her at this, making the Latina sigh. "You're fine, Q."

"You look amazing, actually," Brittany beamed.

The former head Cheerio relaxed a little at their words. "Thanks… And sorry for dragging you two into this group thing we set up. I know I have Mercedes supporting me, but I get a little tense having Sam with us and well… Rachel…"

"You'll be fine, Q. You promised you won't confess until Nationals so you shouldn't be nervous."

"Besides. Trouty Mouth will have his arms filled with five of McKinley's hottest girls so people will act as if he's never poor."

Quinn couldn't help but to laugh at the brunette's comment. "As long as I don't get caught."

Santana looked at her friend before scooting away from Brittany. She patted the spot between them. "Sit."

The shorter blonde looked at her but reluctantly obliged. She tensed when the two wrapped their arms around her in comfort. "What's all this?" she asked, although already knowing their answer.

"Tell you what. If it feels like you want to make sure it's safe to confess to Berry prematurely, just look for us. We have a whole week until Nationals and if you want to make it perfect, we'll make sure that she'll be ready to take it."

"Is there another option?"

"Learn to not be scared. Your first time be scared of your feelings. Might be best if you find a way to beat it."

Quinn looked at the Latina. "How so?"

"What about a haircut?" Brittany chimed in. Quinn looked at her, seeing the infectious smile on her friend's face.

"Sounds like a perfect idea, Britt Britt," Santana said in agreement. "We can do this either before or after we leave for New York. But it's all up to you, Q. If you're up for it, give us the word."

Quinn couldn't help but to smile and held her friends in a hug. "It's been a long time since I've said this, but… I'm so glad to have you two as my friends."

"We're not the Unholy Trinity for nothing," the Latina sneered. This made the three laugh as they hugged each other.

* * *

Rachel nervously hovered her hand over the doorbell of the Fabray household. She pulled away and started to pace. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous about taking Quinn to Prom all of a sudden. Sure, she wants to make it all perfect for the blonde after she sacrificed her chances of winning Prom Queen, but she began to feel this sudden uneasiness when they started hanging out more. She felt like she could throw up any minute now.

The front door suddenly opened, making her jump and quickly hide the box behind her back, her face flushed in embarrassment. She looked at who opened the door and was surprised that it wasn't Quinn's mother, Judy.

"What's up, Berry?" the Latina asked as she leaned against the doorframe.

"S-Santana. Wh-what brings you here?" Rachel was still surprised, knowing the taller brunette would have already went ahead to the event with Brittany.

"Just helping Q with her dress and hair. Judy's busy finding the camera." She looked around and noticed the diva was alone. "Where's Mercedes and Trouty Mouth?"

Rachel blinked, suddenly remembering the phone call she had earlier with her fellow diva. "Oh! Um… We agreed to meet each other at Breadstix before going to Prom together. They wanted to spend some time alone together so I came here to pick up Quinn. Is she ready?"

Santana tried to hide her laugh from the nervousness that flowed from the petite brunette. "Yea. Just having some issues with her heels. Come on. Must be getting a little cold." She invited Rachel into the house.

"Rachel!" A yellow and green blur came from the staircase and lifted the diva into the air in a hug.

"H-hi, Brittany," she managed to choke out from the blonde's strength. She found herself put back onto the floor and quickly straightened her dress.

"You look so perfect!" the blonde squealed. "No wonder Quinn was so-!" Her mouth was soon covered by Santana's hand, preventing her from finishing her sentence.

"So excited to be dancing with all of her friends," the Latina finished, giving her girlfriend a small look as if to chastise her.

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows at the two's behavior, unsure what to make of it. Brittany carefully pried Santana's hand off. "Yea. We're all hot. All of the girls will be jealous," the blonde said sheepishly.

"O-okay…"

Santana scoffed before turning to the staircase. "Q! Get your butt down here or we're going to be late for Breadstix! I need my 'stix!"

"I'm coming!" a voice called from the top of the staircase. Soft footsteps were heard as the three watched the Fabray daughter descend the staircase.

Rachel felt a lump caught in her throat and quickly averted her gaze, clearing her throat in the process. She took in a deep breath before looking at the blonde, trying her best to smile. "Quinn. You look beautiful."

The former head Cheerio felt the heat rise to her cheeks and smiled. "Thanks. You look great, too." She couldn't help but to find herself looking at the diva from head to toe. Obviously her color of choice was pink, just as she expected. She held up the white box in her hand. "Here. Your corsage as promised."

Rachel blinked, suddenly snapped out of the trance she was also in. "Th-thanks. Um. I have yours, too." She gingerly switched the boxes, allowing the two to open them. She let out a small laugh when she saw the pink roses. "Was I that obvious?"

"You always struck me as a pink person," Quinn said, not taking her eyes off of her own corsage. The white of the gardenias was a safe play but she noticed the green leaves stood out quite well along with the light green ribbon. She looked at the short brunette in front of her. "Just like my eyes." She smiled to herself when she found Rachel blushing in embarrassment.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry if I was staring-"

"It's fine. I like it." _Love, actually_.

"Okay, stop eye-fucking each other so we can get our photos taken and head to Breadstix," Santana snapped, clapping her hands to get their attention. "You can do it at the dance."

The two looked at each other before turning away, their faces red in embarrassment. Brittany couldn't help but to nudge her girlfriend's shoulder, a knowing look in her blue eyes. This only received a smirk and nod from the Latina.

* * *

Laughter was heard at the popular restaurant as a group of six were seated at a booth. "I can't believe you really brought a wheelbarrow to Breadstix for your second visit!" Rachel laughed.

Santana removed the breadstick from her mouth after taking off a bite. "It's just that good. Get over it, Berry."

"Oh, please. You were so tempted to bringing that thing when we were sure we were going to win that Duet competition," Mercedes said. "You looked like you were ready to kill whoever voted."

"And I will do it again next year." She stopped when there was a silent awkwardness at the table. She looked between her two friends and then Sam who pursed his lips, remembering what happened after the said event. "Sorry."

"I-it's fine. It's all in the past so there's no need to worry," Quinn said," We've all talked about it so it's perfectly fine. Right?"

Sam quickly nodded his head. "Yeah. It's all great."

It table fell into silence again, making it almost suffocating for the group. Mercedes cleared her throat. "So! About Prom Queen votes," she said," Any plans on how to get the rest of the votes, you two? Now that you guys kind of stopped your campaigns with all of the dramas."

"It's probably better if we wait until next year. Whatever happens tonight probably won't mean anything to us," Santana said," I mean, I can't be Queen and there's no way they'll just suddenly make Brittany a write-in for either titles."

"And Karofsky?"

"We've talked it over. He doesn't really care at this point as long as he can use it to help turn over a new leaf better." She couldn't help but to let a small smile slip, catching their attention. They were quite aware of the Latina wanting to bring Kurt back to McKinley in order to earn Prom Queen votes, but after the drama with her being outed as a lesbian, she's just glad that their flamboyant friend was back and ready to help them with Nationals. She even managed to sit down with the two boys after Kurt transferred back to talk about their new allegiance to help others going through the same troubles as them. It was a long talk and Karofsky has yet to admit his sexuality to anyone other than the two, but it was great that they created a new pact even if it meant keeping a huge secret from the ever-so-accepting Glee Club.

"Well at least you guys have settled that problem. I'm guessing the same for you, Quinn? Waiting until next year to run when you find your perfect King?"

Quinn took in a deep breath, remembering how her initial plans involved campaigning with Finn to get all of the voters with their Quarterback-Head Cheerleader image. A match made in Heaven in the social hierarchy, but wasn't one she personally agreed with. She gave a nod, trying to not glance over at Rachel at the thought of her perfect "King". "Y-yeah. Things have been really rough this year so next year will probably go smoothly. Maybe _after_ Nationals may I find my new King." She ignored the knowing smirk growing on Santana's face, gently kicking her under the table to stop her from making any remarks.

* * *

"Phew! Looks like Evans got busy and landed himself a basket full of wonderful arm candy!" Puck whistled when he approached the group entering the gymnasium. "Should have told me I had a rival for tonight!"

"Oh, please, Noah. We just thought it would be nice to let Sam have a wonderful night after all the stress he's having," Rachel said, giving him a playful push on the shoulder.

"Well the more the merrier! Come on, man! I got some sorority girls for you to meet!" The rebel took hold of his blonde teammate's arm before dragging him through the dancefloor to catch up to his surprisingly large group of dates waiting for him.

"Guess that worked," Santana chuckled with her arms folded. "Come on, Britt Britt. Let's dance!" She took hold of her girlfriend's hands before leading her to the dancefloor, receiving a squeal in response from the tall blonde.

The three couldn't help but to laugh at the two girls are they started to twirl each other before hugging each other while dancing. It was quite an adorable sight whenever the Latina shows off her soft side for her girlfriend. She'll never admit it but everyone knows how she is when she's around a certain Brittany S. Pierce.

Quinn suddenly felt a lump in her throat when she felt her hand grabbed by a familiar one. "Well. It's just us three left. Let's all have fun!" Rachel cheered as she held onto the two.

Quinn quickly looked over at Mercedes who quickly held back her laugh when she saw the blonde's red face. She shook her head before looking back at the shorter diva, knowing her response might lead to sudden protest by McKinley's HBIC. "Let's dance!" she said. This received a happy squeal before the two were dragged to the dancefloor.

* * *

"No date tonight, Q?!" Sue asked over the music as the younger blonde poured herself a glass of punch.

"Just with some friends tonight, Coach." She glanced over at Rachel who was dancing with the rest of their group, laughing and singing along with them. She took a sip of the punch, only to be confused of the familiar taste hidden. She tried to hide her reaction from her coach and looked back at the older blonde. "Do you think I made the right choice, Coach? Throwing away Prom Queen votes just to be with my friends?"

"Normally, I would say you're an idiot. This year could be the only chance for you to be crowned the highest status at this school. Something we both know you've been trying so hard to keep in your hold. But what yours is yours! Just remember you might regret it later!"

Quinn couldn't help but to smile at her coach's harsh words, remembering their conversation a while back. "I'll definitely regret it!" she shot back before finishing her punch. She went back to her friends, hoping to enjoy the rest of the night in peace.

A new song started and the former head cheerleader noticed her diva stopped dancing as if on cue. "I have to get on stage after this!" the brunette said over the music. "I'll be back for that dance, Quinn! I promised you that in the car!" She scurried off, going to the back of the stage to prepare herself.

Quinn felt someone bump hips with her and turned to Santana who had a mischievous smile on her face. She let out a small laugh and shook her head. "Puck snuck something into Sue's punch when she was on break. You might want to get some after Rachel sings."

"Ooh~ He really did us a favor!" Santana cheered.

"Let's just hope he doesn't get caught when she runs out," Mercedes laughed before they continued dancing.

They soon noticed the music slowing down as the DJ took the mic on the side. "Okay, folks. Grab your partner because we are going to slow it down a bit."

They looked over at the stage where they found Rachel taking the mic that was decorated with pink rhinestones. "Jar of Hearts" began to play, making many people grab their dates to dance.

"Britt and I will go ahead. We'll catch you guys later," Santana said before being dragged off by the taller blonde.

"They're just so cute," Mercedes grinned, only to be nudged by Quinn.

"She'll blow a fuse if she hears that," she chided, aware that the Latina isn't fond of being called "cute". She soon noticed a familiar blonde approaching and couldn't help but to smile when she followed his line of sight.

Sam held out his hand to Mercedes, surprising her. "Hey, beautiful. May I have this dance?"

The two girls exchanged excited glances before the diva found herself gently pushed forward. "O-of course, Sam. I would be glad to." Mercedes rested her hand in his before being led deeper into the dance floor.

Quinn smiled as she saw her friends having fun. She looked over at Rachel, in awe of her voice. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks when the brunette looked in her direction with a wide smile. She shyly smiled and gave a small wave, happy to see her new friend having fun with what she loves to do. Confusion soon came over her when she noticed a look of concern on Rachel's face when the brunette never looked away from her general direction.

A hand gently tapped her shoulder, making her turn to find a familiar boy. "F-Finn." She quietly cursed to herself, remembering that it was mandatory for Prom Court candidates to attend with or without dates. She forced a smile when she looked at him. "How can I help you?" She cringed when she recognized the slightly constipated smile on his face.

"Would you like to dance, Quinn? Wouldn't want a girl to dance alone while standing in the middle of the dance floor."

Realization crashed over her, seeing how she was so preoccupied with watching Rachel that she didn't realize she was standing at the center of the gym, surrounded by dancing couples. She found his hand held out to her.

"You once said that it's mandatory for Prom Court candidates to have at least once dance together. Please."

Quinn looked back at Rachel, somewhat spotting a hint of jealousy in her brown eyes. She wasn't sure if it was towards her or Finn, but she sure hoped it was a fight over her rather than the titan standing over her. She let out a sigh, seeing how the song is more than halfway over and will make the dance shorter.

"Sure, Finn. But just remember that this is as friends."

"Yeah. Of course. Wouldn't put it in any other way."

Quinn rested her left hand on his shoulder, her right resting in his left hand. He slipped his right hand to her waist, allowing them to dance. She snuck a glance towards Rachel and noticed the sadness in her eyes. She noticed Santana and Brittany were also looking in her direction, the latter clearly concerned for the current situation. It was quite obvious in Quinn's hazel eyes that she mostly looked forward to the dance Rachel promised her on the car ride to the dance. It was a chance for her to bond with the diva in a more public setting compared to when they would go to the Lima Bean or discussing original song ideas for Nationals. Rachel was actually stressing about it due to how close the competition is and they have no songs written or choreography set. This dance was a chance for them to enjoy each other's company without stressing about the competition.

"So, Quinn." She snapped her attention back to the tall jock when she heard her name. "I have to apologize about before. I shouldn't have accused you for using Rachel. Seeing you two get along between then and now convinced me that you guys are doing your best to be friends."

A small smile seemed to have slipped from the blonde's lips at his words, glad he finally approves. "Thanks, Finn. It's nice to hear that from you."

"Yeah, well… A good leader has to be approving and watch out for his teammates. But I'm a little worried about something and want to ask you something. Don't hurt her, okay?"

Quinn felt her eyebrows automatically raise from the request. "Excuse me?"

"I just don't want anything to happen between you guys. You know how fragile she can be so I don't want you to hurt her. I'm not accusing you of anything but I just want to look out for both of you."

She let out a small laugh at this. Sure, he said he wasn't accusing her of anything but it sure sounded like it was given the request and his previous accusations.

She heard the music changing and pulled away from him. "Well I can't promise anything, but I do know I won't hurt her like many people think I would. Mercedes and Kurt will definitely kill me if I make Rachel cry, so don't worry your little head about it."

* * *

Rachel quickly made her way through the crowd after receiving an applause, hoping she can catch Quinn. She couldn't explain it, but she definitely felt a little hurt when she found her new friend dancing with Finn halfway through the song. Maybe a little jealous but she wasn't sure to who. Maybe jealous of Quinn dancing with the boy she fell in love with for over a year? Maybe of Finn for dancing with her friend before her? She just wasn't sure, but she definitely knew that she had to get to Quinn for their promised dance. Sure, she can wait until later during the dance, but it just feels so urgent now. Like she _wants_ to dance with the former head cheerleader as soon as possible.

"Mercedes and Kurt will definitely kill me if I make Rachel cry, so don't worry your little head about it."

Rachel stopped in her tracks when she heard Quinn. She looked at the blonde to find her talking to Finn, her arms folded and her signature HBIC glare in full swing. At first, she's quite in awe of the girl's declaration to not hurt her, but now she's a little concerned. Since when was McKinley's Head Bitch concerned about the reaction from two of the school's largest gossips when it came to her? Sure, they were probably two of her closest friends, but even they didn't chew off Finn's head when everyone found out he had sex with Santana out of jealousy and lied about it when they were dating. It took two sleepovers and five tubs of ice cream for her friends to cheer her up, but they didn't attack Finn. So why would they attack Quinn for hurting her when they're just friends?

She was snapped out of her thoughts when a hand wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up at Quinn who was still glaring at Finn. "Come on, Rach. Let's join the others and have that dance."

"O-okay."

Quinn led her towards Santana and Brittany where the latter pulled the diva in a hug. "You did great, Rachel!" she cheered, making her laugh at the taller blonde's perkiness.

"Thank you, Brittany."

"Quinn, can I steal her for a second to dance? She's just so cute."

Quinn hesitated, having been looking forward to the dance. But she really couldn't say no to Brittany. Her blue eyes just had that innocent spark to them and her lower lip stuck out for a cute pout. How can anyone say no to that face?

She looked at Rachel who wanted to protest but also couldn't resist the pout on the tall Cheerio's face. Santana looked between the three before taking hold of Quinn. "You two can dance. Q and I will go grab some more punch. I need a buzz." She locked arms with the blonde before leading her to the table. "Sorry about that, Q. She did say she wanted to try stealing dates."

Quinn quickly waved her off. "We are not dates, San. At least not tonight." She poured a cup of punch and handed it to her friend, only to find the Latina's eyebrows raised with a knowing look. She scoffed. "You know what I mean, San."

"Well you do have another week before confessing. And by the looks of things, you may need to sit her down for it all."

There was a soft groan from the blonde before she drank from her own cup. "I can't believe you saw that look on her face…"

"Well what are your thoughts, Q? Either she wants you or Frankenteen. Nationals is the best way to seal the deal."

"What if it isn't?"

"We'll just have to find out by then. Just know we all got your back, Q."

"Thanks…" Quinn looked over at the dancing duo. Rachel seemed to have been laughing at whatever Brittany seemed to have said. There was no doubt it could have been one of those one-liners that may or may not have made sense to others.

She poured herself another cup before quickly downing it. She felt her mind go numb for a second before she felt an arm wrap around her waist.

"Whoa, girl. Let's not go crazy here. You might let something slip if you have another cup."

She couldn't do anything to protest and simply nodded. "Sorry… I just have to forget about this stress…"

"Think you can get over there without getting tipsy?"

"Y-yeah. Let's go."

* * *

Rachel carefully pulled up to the driveway of the Fabray household, turning off the engine after parking. She looked over at Quinn who was half-asleep, tired from the dance.

Prom Court announcement was quite a shock to everyone. She wasn't sure if it was some kind of sick joke, but Kurt won Prom Queen by write-in votes. He ran off crying for a while before being brought back in by Blaine who helped him accept the title with his head held high. Karofsky won Prom King but refused to dance with Kurt even if it may help his confidence and support their pact and cause. Santana and Quinn didn't mind losing, but hope that the same doesn't happen next year if it hurt their friend this badly.

The car ride home was awfully quiet, but neither of them could help it. Rachel had some punch before they ran out the first time and was able to realize what made Quinn dizzy throughout most of the dance. The dosage wasn't as great as what they had during her Alcohol Awareness Week party so she was quite surprised at how much of a lightweight the blonde was. It was actually a little cute to see her be a little tipsy before the dosage can be enough to turn her into an angry drunk. She actually had to ask Santana help wash it out of her system before Prom ended so no one would be too suspicious.

She gently reached over to shake the blonde. "Quinn. We're here," she whispered, hoping to wake the girl without giving her a headache.

The blonde softly groaned as she straightened herself, making the diva stifle a laugh. She climbed out of the car before running to the passenger side to help the girl out of the car. She carefully took off Quinn's shoes before letting her out of the car. She couldn't help but to laugh when the blonde fell against her from being half-asleep.

"Quinn. Do you have your house keys? I'll have to take you to your room if you're going to fall over like this."

"Nggh… Okay…" She wiped her eyes before fumbling with her clutch, taking out the keys. Rachel took hold of the keys before leading the blonde to the front door.

After some struggle, Rachel was able to drag Quinn up to her room. She noticed none of the lights were on when she pulled up, meaning Judy must have already been asleep or wasn't home for the night. It didn't really matter as long as she was able to get Quinn to bed.

She held out a moist towelette to the blonde. "Here. Wipe off your makeup while I get your hair ready."

Quinn let out an incomprehensible hum before wiping her face. Rachel quickly but carefully took out the pins from the blonde's hair, hoping to not tug or rip off any loose strands. She took hold of a brush to straighten it out, smiling as she noticed how smooth and silky it is when her hands brush against it. She placed the brush down when finished to inspect the girl, hoping she didn't miss any spots of makeup on her face.

Upon closer inspection, the blonde actually looked great without the makeup as if she barely put any on. Rachel couldn't help but to feel jealous that her beauty looked much more natural compared to the hard work she has to put in to maintain her current look.

Once everything was acceptable, she carefully laid Quinn down onto the bed, covering her with the comforter. She made her way downstairs to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water to place on the bedside table along with an Advil for her hangover.

"Sleep well, okay?" She was about to take her leave but found her arm grabbed and pulled onto the bed. She covered her mouth to stop herself from letting out a yelp and looked over to find Quinn still asleep, hugging the brunette's arm. She let out a sigh in relief before pulling away, replacing her arm with a stuffed lamb she spotted next to the blonde's pillow. She smiled when she saw the girl snuggle up with the lamb and smiling at its softness. A childlike innocence that possibly only Rachel Berry has seen in the former head Cheerio's life.

She carefully brushed a few strands of hair from Quinn's face before leaning in, placing a soft peck to the forehead. "Goodnight, Quinn." She took her leave, turning off the lights and closing the door.

* * *

Santana looked at her phone after receiving countless text messages from two different people.

 ** _From Q:_** _San, what happened last night? I just woke up with no makeup and my hair down. Did you take me home?_

 ** _From Berry:_** _Hi, Santana. Would it be okay if you can check on Quinn for today? I know she has church but I'm not sure if she'll have a headache from Prom._

 ** _From Q:_** _Seriously, S! This is not funny! I woke up to finding Lamb in my arms and I think lipstick on my forehead!_

The Latina simply laughed at the mention of her friend's treasured stuffed animal. It was something she and Brittany found during one of their old sleepovers at Quinn's house. It never left its spot next to her pillow and she wouldn't let anyone touch it. Sometimes Santana would stay up later than her blonde friend to see if she'll grab the doll in her sleep, but it never happened. To have a message about her hugging the thing was definitely a surprise for the Latina.

 ** _From S:_** _You had way too much of Coach Sue's punch last night. I'm surprised that broke you into hugging that thing. I need a photo. P.S. Berry drove you home so I don't know the details._

 ** _From Santana:_** _Don't really need to take requests from you about Q, Berry. But it will untighten your granny panties, I am texting her and will talk to her later. Seems to be doing fine._

Her phone rang again.

 ** _From Q:_** _You let her drive me home?! Oh my God, San! I could have done something crazy!_

 ** _From S:_** _Relax, Q. I'm sure she'll text you later. You weren't that drunk. Come over when you're done, okay? Britt stayed over for the night so we'll be waiting._

She put her phone down and looked over at Brittany who peacefully slept. Her arms were wrapped around the Latina and her head rested against her chest. Santana smiled and gently combed her fingers through her girlfriend's blonde locks. She thought back to the messages, curious of what happened in the Fabray household when Quinn was dropped off.

* * *

 ** _This chapter took a while and much longer than previous chapters. Not sure how to start the next one yet. Maybe have it focused more on Rachel's point of view during their trip to New York but I'm not sure. Just have to wait and see._**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

"Ugh! Stuffing all of these carry-ons on a plane is such a bitch!" Santana groaned as she tried to rearrange the bags.

"What we get for spending a few days and leaving room for our costumes," Kurt sneered, adjusting his duffle to fit Blaine's.

Santana slammed the bin shut before letting out a groan. "Finally!" She crawled into her seat where she was greeted by a kiss from Brittany who sat next to the window. The blonde insisted the three would rearrange seats, claiming to not being able to see the UFOs they might pass if she sat in the aisle. "Just two hours of a flight and we are set."

"This is just so exciting!" Rachel squealed from her seat behind the Unholy Trinity. "Four days in the greatest city in the world!" She was pulled back into her seat by Mercedes after looking away from the magazine Tina showed her.

"Okay, Fanny. We still have two hours so rest your little head. We can look at Broadway when we get there."

Quinn couldn't help but to smile at the brunette's excitement. She closed her book before turning over to the girl. "You do know that we'll have to spend every second enjoying Broadway before we're on lockdown, right?"

Rachel's face fell upon realization. "Oh my gosh, I completely forgot! We have to go to Tiffany's at some point before the competition!" She looked over at Kurt who was also in shock. "Kurt, we have to make a run for all the stops before we're locked into the hotel rooms!"

"Way ahead of you. I'll make a map before we land."

"Whoa there, Lady Hummel. No need to have a freaking panic attack about a lock down," Santana snapped. She carefully fixed the neck pillow secured around her neck and began covering her eyes with an eye mask. "We just have to finish those songs and dances and we'll be free to go."

"Easy for you to say, Satan."

Quinn shook her head as the two bickered. "Well we shouldn't panic too much. We just need to relax and spend whatever time we have in the city before lockdown. Name a place and we will go no matter how short the visit." She held her breath when she felt an arm wrap around her.

"You're the best, Quinn!" Rachel squealed," Just tell me anything and I will put it into our schedule!" She was pulled back into her seat again. "No~ Just one more hug, Mercedes~"

"You need to get your seatbelt on ASAP, girl. You can hug her while we're in the air if you don't pass out by then."

Quinn let out the breath she held in, knowing the hug was quite sudden although expected. She felt someone nudge her arm and turned to find a smirk on Santana's face and a knowing smile from Brittany, her blue eyes sparkling from the sudden intimacy. She quietly groaned upon realizing her cheeks were burning, but grateful it went unnoticed by the diva. _"Nationals… You promised to wait until after Nationals… Control yourself, Fabray… Admit it all when Nationals are over!"_

* * *

Rachel spun around in Time Square in excitement. "I'm finally here~" she cheered as she spun. She slowly went to a stop to take in her surroundings. The large advertisements for the various musicals currently on Broadway and various brands. Signs of the stores scattered through the city. Signs of the musicals right on the street they're occupying.

She ran over to the large steps of TKTS where the rest of New Directions were eating some food they bought from the street carts. "Where should we go first? Personally, I would _love_ to go see _Wicked_ , but I doubt our schedule will allow us to go or buy tickets."

"Well we only have about ten minutes before we go back to the hotel, so you better come up with something quick," Tina said, pursing her lips and raising her eyebrows.

"Ten minutes?!"

"Only because _somebody_ lost track of his luggage," Mercedes said as she looked at Finn who just stuffed his mouth with a cheesesteak.

The quarterback looked up as he noticed everyone looking at him, confusion on his face. "What…?"

There was a collective groan from the group as Quinn noticed the disappointment on the small diva's face. The city of her dreams and no time to experience it just because they don't have their setlist. She can probably blame Mr. Schue for that given how he insisted on having them sing for Prom a week before Nationals or not providing proper input when brainstorming lyrics. Everyone's sheet music are all pretty much blank at the moment and the diva spent the days before their trip banging her head against her desk to create some form of lyrics. It didn't matter if it was a solo, duet or group number. Rachel just couldn't find herself finding the right lyrics like she did for Regionals. Maybe she needs a little push like last time.

Quinn felt herself knocked out of her train of thought when she was gently pushed on the shoulder. She turned to look at Santana. "Come on, we have to get to the hotel. You can brainstorm ways on flirting with Berry when we get to the room."

Always leave it to Santana to read her mind.

* * *

There was a loud moan coming from the Marriott as a group of twelve sat in the double room. "I got nothing!" screeched a petite diva, her voice muffled by the pillow she buried her face into.

"What about my song, Rachel?" Brittany pouted. This received a groan from the group. Out of the fourteen of them, only the taller Cheerio was able to create a set of lyrics with the help of Artie titled "My Cup". It was quite catchy and fun but the message at the beginning suggested a theme that would probably disqualify them from the competition. Tina questioned the idea of the song being about a cup but everyone knew the dark undertones of the lyrics. Santana was at the end of one of the beds trying not to laugh at the lyrics, knowing they were obviously directed to Brittana's relationship outside the club. Everyone else were just mortified upon hearing the tall blonde happily singing it and Artie supporting her. Even Puck was close to throwing his guitar out the window despite agreeing to help them with the instrumentals.

"Okay, this is ridiculous." Quinn got to her feet before putting on her jacket. She took hold of a colorfully striped one before throwing it onto Rachel. "We're getting out of here and enjoying the city."

"We can't. Mr. Schue said we're on lockdown," Mercedes said, remembering the blonde's words on the plane. She found her jacket thrown into her arms by the former head cheerleader.

"Yeah, well I refuse to be on lockdown now." Quinn started to pass everyone their coats and jackets. "We can't sit around in this room to create songs if the only inspirations we have are cups, curtains and comforters. And no, we are not making another song about headbands or whatever we do in beds."

"What will Mr. Schue say?" Blaine inquired, making the blonde smile deviously.

"We're in the greatest city in the world. He's running off doing something to enjoy it. Why can't we?"

The team looked at each other before back at the blonde, smiling at her idea.

"I'm in!" Quinn found herself knocked back a few steps after being tackled into a hug by Rachel. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The diva quickly put on her coat before taking hold of Kurt and Blaine. "Let's go! Broadway awaits!" She dragged them out of the room, making everyone else follow except for the Unholy Trinity.

Quinn spotted Finn who looked at her with confusion as he followed Puck out of the room. Was that a hint of jealousy in his eyes? She shot him an innocent smile before turning to her friends. "Phase 1 of 'Making Rachel Berry Happy' complete," she said with confidence before leaving the room.

Santana and Brittany looked at each other, smiles on their faces before following their leader. They linked pinkies before closing the door behind them.

* * *

"Look at these signs! They're so huge!" Rachel squealed as she walked through the streets with Kurt and Blaine. "If only we can attend just one while we're here!"

"We'll make a mental note of that," Blaine said, admiring the signs. "Maybe we can come during the summer so we can go to one every day."

"Ugh. If only," Kurt sighed, knowing it would be almost impossible to schedule a good week for a vacation with any of their families. Burt and Carole aren't as fond of New York as him and Finn has training for the next season. Blaine's parents are always working so they can't chaperone. Rachel's are iffy with Hiram's schedule as a physician and LeRoy working at Ohio State as a professor even during the summer. "Hopefully our applications for NYADA are perfect and we can run all the way here for the summer next year to enjoy the city before classes start."

"I have no doubt that we'll be accepted into NYADA, Kurt! We were born to be on Broadway and there is no way we can't pass. We just have to make a list of all the shows we should be attending."

"Well we do have Quinn to thank for letting us run around to get our inspiration and sight-see."

Blaine noticed a little skip to each of Rachel's steps as they walked. "You know, I'm actually surprised at how Quinn can change her mind so easily. She _did_ remind us that Mr. Schue would put us on lockdown and now she's all up for running around New York."

Rachel turned on her heel to look at the bow-tied singer, walking backwards to continue her stride. "It's the magic of New York, Blaine. I'm sure even the Warblers would want to ditch practice to enjoy the sights."

Blaine's eyebrows raised. "Really?" He looked over at Kurt who simply shrugged, trying to hide the fact that the decision was possibly driven by the blonde's crush on the diva. He looked back at Rachel who slowed her pace to admire more of the signs and the displays when they walked pass some stores. He quickly caught up to her. "Um… Rachel. Can I ask you something real quick?"

"Of course, Blaine. What would you like to know? I'm sure I memorized the map of New York if you want to go somewhere."

"No, it's not that. I'm actually more curious about you and Quinn. You two were pretty distant during that house party after Sectionals, but now you're as close as friends. Kurt told me your history while we were at Dalton so it's pretty strange to see you two become friends. Especially after that whole month of you two avoiding each other."

Rachel took in a deep breath, taken aback of being reminded of their quiet fight after what happened in her bedroom. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks as she remembered Quinn's tongue hitting her cheek during that sudden kiss. She was still unsure what to make of it. The blonde suddenly just poured all of these emotions and secrets to her that day and she was fully aware that it just wouldn't leave the room. Given how it was their first step as being friends, Rachel knew she had to keep it all a secret and not tell anyone including Kurt who was infamous for being McKinley's biggest gossip. She swore that everything that happened in her bedroom wouldn't leave even if it was a shock to her. Telling anyone of that kiss would lead to misinterpretations and may damage the reputation that Quinn just fought back for after the whole pregnancy issue. She couldn't risk it.

But it didn't mean that she wouldn't get her mind off of it. Like Mercedes said, she's always wanted to be a friend with Quinn. She was someone she admired and possibly learn from even if she did receive slushie facials from the blonde during their freshman and sophomore years. She was even willing to put their rivalry over Finn to the side by offering her the guestroom at the Berry household if Puck and Mercedes haven't already taken her in. Just anything to help stop the tension between the two of them so they can end up as friends. Maybe… more.

She stopped, remembering Quinn's confession. She shouldn't even think about thinking of the blonde as more than just friends. She still likes Finn and Quinn is in love with someone else. She has to respect that. Although… she has yet to see the person in school or see the blonde look at anyone in such a longing way between classes. Maybe towards the diva, herself, but most likely because of how they've always wanted to be friends but couldn't because of the social hierarchy at school. Head Cheerio and McKinley's Head Bitch would rather be caught dead than be friends with the co-captain of the glee club, the lowest club at the school filled with losers and misfits. The possibility of the two even thinking of each other as more than just friends would turn the school upside down. She can't risk it. She shouldn't.

"Rachel?"

Blaine was suddenly pulled back, snapping Rachel out of her sudden daze. "I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to be reminded about that fight, Blaine," Kurt chided," It was quite a rough time for her."

"N-no. It's fine, Kurt," Rachel cut in, trying to clear her head. She softly smiled, trying to hide the concern and confusion. "We were just settling some issues we've had with the past. She had a reputation to uphold and being friends with someone like me would just take it away from her. We can only do it now because of glee club."

The former Warbler looked at her, sensing something more than what she is telling him. But seeing how he shouldn't pry, he just nodded. "Okay. I can see that now. I'm just glad that glee club helped bring you two together."

"Yeah… yeah…" Her phone started to ring, making her check to find a few messages. She quickly replied before looking at the two boys. "That was Mercedes. We should probably head back and use what we've gathered to start on those songs." She went in between them before linking arms with the two. "Come on."

The couple looked at each other over her head, both showing some kind of concern of her sudden change in behavior.

* * *

Quinn dodged some pillows being thrown at her. After spending about two hours coming up with ideas and lyrics, there was a small scuffle between the girls before they engaged in a pillow fight. Somehow it escalated to a point where the feathers started to fly out of the cases and scatter through the room.

She jumped off the bed and ducked when one flew towards her head, possibly Tina who was thrashing to keep herself safe. From the corner of her eye, she saw Rachel staring at her phone before going to the bathroom with a change of clothes. She quickly threw her pillow towards Brittany who caught it to smack Santana down onto the bed in a fit of laughter, allowing the shorter blonde to sneak to the bathroom door.

There was a small squeak when Rachel emerged from the bathroom in a baby blue dress, her hair pulled up and curled. She tightly held onto the door handle in fear of falling when she saw Quinn in front of her. "Going somewhere, Rachel?" She flinched when she heard her full first name in that classic HBIC tone.

"Just out to dinner, Quinn."

"We have room service coming in soon." She eyed the brunette in front of her, finding her fidgeting and tightly clutching her phone. She let out a sigh before looking at the diva in the eyes. "Finn made a reservation, didn't he?"

Rachel was taken aback by the question before giving a sheepish nod. "It's just a business kind of thing, Quinn… I'm sure it's just that."

"I really have no problem with you going out with him, Rach. Just know we still need to write songs so try not to stay out so late. And don't let him do anything crazy. He's known for that." She found herself pulled into a hug.

"Thank you so much. I'll be back as soon as possible and hopefully we can get a song out of it." She quickly put on her heels before rushing out, quietly closing the door behind her so the others won't notice.

Quinn closed her eyes before letting out a deep sigh. _"If only I can tell her now…"_

A hand tapped her shoulder, making her turn before being pulled into another hug. It felt more comforting as she felt someone's hand running through her hair. No doubt it was Brittany who noticed her being tense. "Do you want that haircut now?" the taller blonde asked, unwilling to pull away just yet.

"Maybe tomorrow, B… I need to rest for a bit…"

Brittany pulled away before resting her forehead against her leader's, her blue eyes darkening from worry. "You want me to get San?"

Quinn shook her head. "It's fine, Britt. Just having you here is enough." She hugged the girl again. When it came to confrontations, each member of the Unholy Trinity were famous for different types. Brittany was in no doubt one of the most comforting since she can read her friends like the back of her hand and give comfort when needed. Always a hugger, but the way she hugs people when they're down is gentle compared to her usual. Quinn was quite grateful to have someone like Brittany around because she can relax better if things go wrong.

There was a brief moment of silence before the taller blonde turned her head down to look at her friend. "Do you wanna ambush San with pillows?"

Quinn couldn't help but to laugh at how innocently the girl asked her question. "Sure."

* * *

Rachel softly smiled as she admired the lights of the city. A walk through Central Park before dinner, an autographed napkin from Patti Lupone securely placed into her purse for safe keeping. She would have had the famous actress sign it for her, but after everything, she asked to have it made out to Kurt. He would have lectured her endlessly if she didn't talk to Patti in the restaurant so she really owes him for mustering up the courage.

She looked over at Finn who was shifting between his heels and toes, trying to avoid eye contact. She recognized the look on his face. "Are you okay, Finn?"

He looked at her, acting as if nothing was wrong. "Hm? Did you say something?"

"You look as if you have to."

"Oh." He dug his hands into his pockets. "I was just thinking. I mean, I'm really glad you agreed to go on this date with me Rachel. A business date, I mean. I kinda want to make it up to you after everything with the whole Quinn situation."

"Oh, it's fine. Really. But I'm glad you're finally accepting our friendship." She smiled at the words, knowing she doesn't want any more tension between the three of them. She found him stand in front of her, making her a little confused. Her eyebrows began to furrow as she could have sworn hearing "Bella Notte" in the background. The culprit may be the New Directions Boys standing behind her.

"Yeah… About that. I know things might be shaky between the three of us. Given how I made out with her after we broke up and we kind of kissed when she was pregnant-"

"Y-you're point, Finn?"

"Uh… yeah. What I wanted to say is… I want to get back together with you. Just forget everything that happened and start over."

Her mouth went slightly agape at this. "I-I don't understand. This is so sudden."

"I know, but since we've taken a break for a few months and we're now in New York, I want to make things right between us. Please."

Rachel looked at the jock, unsure how to respond. She's been chasing him for over a year now but after everything that's happened, she's just not sure anymore. It felt as if her feelings for him are slowly fading away, but they're still there. "I'll have to think about it…"

"Wh-what?"

"I'm sorry, Finn. I just need to think about it." She brushed pass him, hoping to find her way back to the hotel.

* * *

Rachel carefully entered the hotel room to find everyone asleep and scattered through the room. Mercedes and Tina shared one of the full beds, Lauren on one of the spares she claimed for herself, and Santana and Brittany were on the couch on top of each other. She noticed Kurt was missing, but probably to join Blaine in the boys' room.

She jumped when the bathroom door opened beside her and turned to find Quinn. She seemed to have just gotten out of the shower and was dressed in a tank top and silky pants. Her hair was a bit damp but still gracefully fell to her shoulders.

"Q-Quinn… Didn't expect you to be awake…"

The blonde simply shrugged before going to the lounge chair where a notepad rested. She picked it up before sitting. "The others called it quits once they found the harmony. I'm stuck on the lyrics and thought it'd be best for your input."

"Well I'm glad you were patient with me and I do hope I may be of use." She tossed her jacket to the side before taking her notepad off the desk. She situated herself on the free bed. "Before I do my nightly routine, I'd like to hear the ideas you've had in mind. The extended time for my routine will help me brainstorm."

"Well it's not much, but Mercedes managed to get some of the sheet music done." She pulled out said sheets from the back of her notes before passing it to the diva, hoping she would be of help. "We had to use some kind of piano app to get it right."

Rachel simply hummed as she skimmed through, twitching her fingers as if to follow the notes scribbled on the paper. Quinn watched and noticed she seemed to have flipped between the sheets, possibly going over them a few times to make sure. She sighed before looking at the brunette, sensing some kind of tension from her. "How did the business date go with Finn?"

Rachel's head shot up albeit too quickly from the shock. She quickly looked back down, carefully scribbling in her notes. "I-it was fine. We walked through some of Central Park and went to Sardi's for dinner. We ran into Patti Lupone there and uh…" She couldn't help but to smile when she recalled the event. "I managed to get her autograph for Kurt. Apparently she was also in glee club in high school and told me to never stop dreaming. That made me really want to come back to New York and go to NYADA and I think Kurt will freak once I tell him."

Quinn couldn't help but to smile, glad the girl was able to experience meeting one of her idols. "Well I'm sure you're going to kill that NYADA audition next year, Rach. They will never know what's coming."

"Thanks, Quinn. It really means a lot for you to say that." She held out the notes to the blonde. "Here. I hope this might be able to jumpstart the song a little more. The nightlife of New York is just beautiful. So many lights and people gathering." She let out a content sigh. "I really wish we can all see it outside of the hotel room."

"Someday, Rachel." Quinn's smile widened as she read the possible lyrics. She looked up at Rachel, suddenly feeling a spark of inspiration. "Tell you what. Why don't you get ready for bed and I'll try to get some more lyrics? The faster we get them done, the faster we'll get the songs and dances done and we'll be set."

"Okay. Just don't push yourself, okay? I'll try to clean up as fast as possible." She leaned closer for a hug before grabbing a set of clothes from her bags and going to the bathroom.

Quinn let out a sigh before looking at the lyrics again. She looked over at Santana and Brittany who hugged each other while they slept, small smiles on their faces as they enjoyed each other's company. She reached for her pen before scribbling in her own notes, putting in as much as possible before her eyes could give out from exhaustion.

* * *

Rachel carefully secured the hairtie onto one of her braids as she exited the bathroom. "Sorry for taking so long, Quinn. I was just-" She stopped when she found the blonde curled up in the chair, tightly hugging a pillow that she also rested her head on. Her notepad was on the floor but Rachel noticed a good amount of lyrics written on it. She picked it up along with her own notes before situating herself on the bed, looking over the lyrics. She laid down on her stomach and took hold of her pen before reading, making some adjustments before writing a revised version in her notes. She quietly hummed to herself, trying to find ways to sing the song.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 9 and New York! I was actually really curious about who could've written "Light Up the World" in the New York episode since Finn wrote "Pretending". The name was never really revealed but given how Rachel was the only one who looked the most dedicated, I thought I could put in some "missing" information into this chapter.**_

 _ **Chapter 10 might be up tomorrow. I just have to reread and revise it because I was stuck in a 5-hour shift at the local pool's concession stand and half of the time was closed due to thunderstorms. Not a lot of business so I pretty much wrote as much as possible. I also noticed that uploading 2 chapters simultaneously tends to have my readers click the "Skip to latest chapter" and go to the second one without knowing the information from the first chapter.  
**_

 _ **I might have more chapters coming up because I want to take the relationship a little slow even with the big reveal so we'll just see. And please tell me if the girls become too out of character. My mind tends to wander whenever I'm working on different stories and watching shows simultaneously. Thank you and please look forward to the next chapter!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer - I do not own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

"Wait… So you saw Berry sneaking out with Kurt and you _didn't_ follow them?" Santana asked as she helped straighten Quinn's hair. "Kurt knows so he'll give you guys some alone time."

"I'd rather not, San. Besides, they're probably enjoying more of Broadway and I don't want to drag them down." She pulled away when she heard the sound of scissors. "San, no! I am not letting _you_ cut _my_ hair!"

"Oh good. You're listening."

"Are you crazy?! You almost cut my hair off with those!"

"Because it looked like you were about to fly off to Lala Land." She snapped her fingers with her free hand before pointing at Brittany at the other side of the room. "I'll bring you there when we get home!" she added before her girlfriend could ask.

"Do I really have to wait~?" the taller blonde whined.

"Yes, because this weekend is for Q."

"Okay…"

Santana sighed before seeing the small smirk on her friend's face. "Anything amusing?"

"I always thought you were whipped, but I suppose not."

The Latina raised her eyebrows before holding up the scissors again. "Call me whipped. Just say it if you love your hair." The two glared at each other before laughing.

* * *

What felt like seconds may have actually been two minutes. Quinn was seething, her hazel eyes almost turning completely green in anger as her now short hair began to stick up in different directions. She can hear it. The lyrics of the song Finn wrote. There was no doubt in her mind that it was written and sung for Rachel. She told the girl she didn't mind if they were going to date, but the way the diva acted when she returned to the hotel room was off. As if she didn't really enjoy it as much as she let out.

She felt a cool breeze hit her face and turned to find Brittany fanning her with a folding fan and Santana massaging her shoulders in comfort. She brushed them off. "I'm fine. I'm fine…" She folded her arms, trying to ignore the glare Santana gave her.

The Latina let out a sigh before patting her friend's shoulder. "Come on. Our cue is coming up. We can't mess up if you want to confess. Besides, you two wrote the next song so that's a start."

"Yeah… Yeah…" The blonde took in a deep breath before looking at the stage. "Let's go."

They all started to line up before making their way onto the stage, harmonizing to the duet. As the song started to come to a close, they all turned to the back of the stage. But there was silence. A silence that lasted longer than what was rehearsed. She dreaded the idea of turning around to see the reason but decided against it. She felt someone hitting the skirt of her dress. Probably Santana who can see it if she turned her head just a tad bit.

She took in a deep breath before turning her head to look at center stage. All she saw next was red. She wasn't sure how long the two have been in that position but she was sure she saw Finn cupping Rachel's face as they kissed. She quickly snapped her head back to the curtain, her breathing heavy as she tried to calm herself. Then she heard footsteps. She looked back again to find Rachel fleeing the stage.

"Shit…" She looked over at Santana who also seemed to have shown some type of panic. Great. Now they lost their lead singer thanks to the titan. She lightly groaned before running across the stage before the first note could hit. "Zizes. Take my spot. I'm going to follow her." She gave the bespectacled girl a gentle push to the other side before running backstage.

* * *

"Quinn! Quinn, what are you doing?!" Will caught up to the blonde and caught her. "You can't just leave in the middle of a performance."

"Let go, Mr. Schue. If you're as worried about Rachel as me, let me go so I can talk to her." She didn't care if she had to raise her voice at her coach. She saw tears and knew that the reason for the diva to flee may have been triggered by her actions.

"Quinn, this is serious! This could lead to immediate disqualification!"

"We still have twelve people on stage, Mr. Schue! I'm pretty sure Zizes can take my spot because I have no lines! Now let me go!"

"No, Quinn!"

A hand took hold of Will's arm, making the two turn to find Jesse St. James. This only made Quinn angrier, recalling the time Rachel told the team about how Vocal Adrenaline egged her with Jesse's help. He betrayed Rachel just to earn the top spot without putting her feelings into consideration which further angered the girl. "What are you doing here, James?" she scowled.

"I was here to show my support. Am I not allowed to?" He looked over at Will. "New Directions already lost their chances of making the Top 10 with that kiss and Rachel running. I'm sure having a pretty blonde with no lines leaving to comfort her would not ruin that performance." He made the coach let go before looking at the blonde. "Go. I'll take care of your teammates." He gently patted her shoulder before giving her a gentle push to the exit.

Quinn looked at him. "Thanks, but just know you're still on my list." She ran off to the hotel, ignoring Will's calls to stop her.

* * *

Rachel felt her head spinning as she sat up against the bathroom wall. Upon reaching the hotel room, the event left her emptying her stomach from the shock and confusion. Finn kissed her. In the middle of their setlist. Usually she would be happy about kissing the guy she's liked for two years, but now she's just confused. She was aware that the song was written for someone but she wasn't sure who. The bigger problem was that the song made her think of Quinn. Not Finn. Quinn Fabray.

"Oh my God…" was all she could say as she tried to process everything. The entire time as she was singing a duet to a love song, she could only think about a blonde former head cheerleader. Not the boy she has been chasing since glee club started. How was that possible? Why is it possible?

She heard the hotel room open. "Rachel! Rachel, are you in here?!" It was Quinn.

Rachel shakily stood up when she found the bathroom door handle rattling. She couldn't let her in. Not when she's like this. She leaned against the sink as she felt her head spinning again.

"Rachel, please open up."

"Go away, Quinn! I don't… I don't want to talk right now."

"Rachel, please! The others will be here any second asking about you and we need to talk. It's… It's my fault that you're feeling like this. It's my fault that you're being so unsure about your feelings for Finn right now and I'm sorry. I'm sorry that my selfishness is making you so confused about yourself. Just please…"

She can hear the blonde choking on her words as she apologized. Why was she apologizing? Why would Quinn Fabray apologize when all she was doing was just being a friend to her?

Rachel looked at the door before shakily reaching for the lock. She carefully turned it and heard a click. She opened the door to find Quinn who had tears running down her cheeks. Before she could even say anything, the blonde wrapped her arms around her friend, crying into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry… I am so sorry…"

"Quinn…" She heard messy footsteps running through the halls outside. She quickly brought the girl into the bathroom and locked the door, knowing the blonde wouldn't want to be seen as a crying mess.

The door to the hotel room opened as several voices were heard. "Rachel! Quinn!"

She didn't say anything, not wanting to be found.

"They have to be somewhere!" It was Finn. Probably looking for the diva after she ran off.

"This is all your fault, Hudson! If you didn't kiss Berry, this wouldn't be happening!" Santana shouted from the other side of the door.

"What do you mean?!"

"You fucking kissed Rachel! Do I have to put it in simpler terms for your pea-sized brain to admit it?!"

"Enough!" Will bellowed. "Fighting is not going to help us find them. We'll have to split up and search every possible place they could go. Finn. You're with me."

They heard the door close as Rachel let out a sigh. She looked down at Quinn who was still crying in her arms, muttering apologies one after another. She jumped when a knock came from the door.

"Rach? Quinnie? It's us." They recognized the voice to be Brittany. She was always smart when it came to emotions, apparently. "Please come out. Sannie, they're not saying anything…"

"I got this." They heard another knock. "Berry. Q. It's just me and Britt. Kurtcedes will be coming later. You guys okay?"

Rachel hesitated as she gently rubbed Quinn's back. "W-we're fine, Santana… Please leave us alone…"

There was a moment of silence before the Latina spoke up again. "We'll be right here if you need us. Once Lady Hummel and Mercedes come in, we won't let anyone else. Okay?"

"Y-yeah…"

They heard some soft footsteps, allowing them to let out the breath they seemed to have held. Rachel carefully pushed Quinn away before allowing the two of them to sit on the edge of the bathtub. Rachel took hold of a towel for the blonde to wipe her eyes with. "You okay…?"

"Y-yeah… I'm fine…" Quinn accepted the towel before wiping away her eyes and some of the makeup. She set the towel down onto her lap before letting out a deep sigh. "Rachel… I am so sorry… I didn't mean for any of this to happen… If only I did something sooner or just waited until next year…"

"Quinn…" Rachel carefully cupped the blonde's face with her hands so she can look at her. "What are you sorry for? None of this is your fault. I-I know I ran off, but it's just me… I'm just really confused at the moment, but you shouldn't apologize."

"I should be sorry, Rach… Everything that's happened… It's been killing me for three years and I just never had the heart to say it. And now that I'm trying to work up the courage to say it, it just ends up hurting you…"

"What do you mean?"

* * *

Kurt and Mercedes ran into the hotel room, but before they can say anything, they were quickly hushed by Santana. The two Cheerios took them to the far side of the room to explain everything.

"Those two locked themselves in the bathroom to talk," the Latina said quietly. "I don't know how but Q managed to get Berry to open the door and let her in."

"So what now? Everyone else is looking for them," Kurt said.

"I just sent them a text about giving them space. Your stupid step-brother screwed everything up when he wanted to mack on Berry in the middle of the setlist."

"Yeah, we know. We got twelfth place because of all this. We're lucky Zizes managed to go through Quinn's parts last minute," Mercedes said. "So what now?"

"They want to be alone so we should let them," Brittany said. "Quinn was crying… So was Rachel… We should let them talk."

"Come here." Santana held her girlfriend in a comforting hug to soothe her. She looked at the two. "If anyone tries to come in, kick them out. Those two need their talk and they won't do it if the rest of the team are in here screaming for them."

"No need to tell us twice."

* * *

Rachel was speechless as she looked at the blonde in front of her. The entire time they sat on the bathtub, Quinn told her everything. The instant regret the first time she slushied the diva freshman year. The anger and frustration behind all of the insults thrown at her that was played off as pure hatred. The constant need of releasing the anger that led to her dating everyone and sleeping with Puck. Trying to find herself and reject her sin by chasing other boys. Using her pregnancy and learning how to trust others to turn over a new leaf and find ways to make amends with the diva. Fighting against jocks for her sake, admitting her love for someone else she couldn't find herself naming. Her anger towards Finn whenever he tries to pursue either of them. Taking her to Prom and doing whatever it takes to get closer to her.

Tears stained the red face of the blonde sitting in front of her as she poured out all of her emotions. Regret, anger, depression. It was the most she's ever seen coming from the usually calm blonde who always held her head high no matter the danger that approaches her.

"And now you know… Everything… Everything that I have tried so hard to lock away but couldn't. All I ever wanted was to learn to be your friend and then turn it into something more… I shouldn't have when I know you liked Finn from day one… It's probably karma being a bitch to me by making all of my efforts hurt you… Confuse you in every way possible just because I'm trying to be nice after being a total bitch to you all these years… I'm so sorry…"

Rachel didn't say anything. She couldn't. What could she even say to what she's been told? But it explained _everything_. Everything that she even questioned when it came to Quinn's change in behavior the past few months. The guy she confessed to liking all these years was actually Rachel and she was so scared to admit it. Being kicked out of her own home just for getting pregnant must have made it worse for the blonde and she couldn't help but to feel sorry for her.

Quinn looked at the diva, sensing how she's been quiet the entire time. She stood up. "This… This is stupid… I told you all of this for nothing and… and I don't deserve any forgiveness or sympathy from you. I-I should go." She made her way towards the door, reaching for the lock but found her arm grabbed.

"…You do know that we didn't win Nationals… right…?"

Quinn turned to look at the brunette who held onto her. "You're… You're not mad?"

Rachel avoided her gaze for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm… just shocked. I'd never thought you would have feelings for me after everything. It doesn't mean I can return these feelings, but I do need some time…" She gently pulled Quinn back to the tub to sit. "I should be the one apologizing, Quinn… I should have seen through your actions and put in more effort to see your feelings. It's just… I have waited so long to finally be your friend because you're always so strong and willing to do what it takes to make sure people don't step all over you. I admire your bravery and wanted to learn from you. I just… I don't even know what to feel right now…"

"Well I'm sorry for making you confused…"

"Don't be." She paused before remembering that Brittany and Santana were in the room. "Does Santana and Brittany know about your feelings?"

Quinn gave a small nod. "Santana kind of forced it out of me ever since I slushied Azimio. Kurt and Mercedes caught on and asked me about it after what happened in your room." She stopped as her eyes widened at the memory. "Rachel, I am so sorry about that. My emotions got the better of me when you agreed to keeping that secret and I didn't realize what I was doing and-"

"Quinn. Quinn, it's fine. We've already put that behind us. There's really no need to apologize. I understand."

"No, you don't and I'm so sorry."

"Stop apologizing, Quinn. You've already told me so much, there's no need to panic so much. Usually that's my job but I guess we can't have two girls panicking in the bathroom."

A laugh escaped from Quinn's lips at the joke. "I guess not…" She looked at the brunette. "So… what now?"

Rachel pursed her lips as she folded her hands. "Well I can't just pretend that you never said anything to me… And my feelings are still running around like crazy trying to figure things out. Maybe we can just… be friends for now. And if you can still wait for me to think about it, I will gladly find my way to accepting your feelings and we can move on." She leaned closer to the blonde, a small smile on her face. "I actually really like you, Quinn… But I just need some time."

Quinn's lips slowly curved into a smile as she turned to face the diva. "Are you really willing to do that for me?"

"We are friends now, aren't we? If you're trying, so should I. Okay?"

Quinn nodded her head. "I'd like that."

"Okay. I'm going to hug you now." Rachel pulled the blonde into a tight embrace. "No matter what happens… We'll still be friends… Okay?"

"Okay…"

They pulled away from each other before Rachel stood up, extending her hand out to her friend. "Come on. We have some people to talk to so they won't worry."

Quinn smiled and took hold of the diva's hand before they left the bathroom. A pair of arms soon wrapped around them in a crushing hug. She let out a small laugh, knowing fully well it was Brittany who showed the most concern for the two.

"Brittany, let them talk before you crush them," Mercedes teased before gently prying the tall blonde away from the two.

"So are you two okay?" Kurt asked as they looked at the two.

Quinn took in a shaky breath before finding Rachel locking arms with her. The brunette gave her an encouraging nod, making her look at the four. "I told her everything. Things are still shaky but we're willing to work it out."

"Wait so you…" Kurt wagged his finger between the two, indicating the rest of his sentence. Rachel cut in before anyone can answer.

"Although touched by her confession, I'm still working things out on my own… I'm still in shock from both what happened on the stage and Quinn telling me her true feelings, but we have decided to remain as friends until I figure things out."

"Well that's good for the two of you."

"Any idea when you'll say yes?" Brittany asked as she looked at the two.

"Hopefully soon. Maybe we can hang out over the summer and think things through. If that's okay with Quinn, of course."

Quinn's breathing hitched when she found the girl looking at her with pleading eyes. "O-of course. I would not mind at all, Rach."

Santana's eyebrows raised at the stutter. Her lips soon twisted into a smirk as she looked at Rachel. "Berry, please hang out with Q more and invite me. I'd like to record every time _the_ Quinn Fabray stutters."

Quinn felt the heat rising to her cheeks as she looked at her friend. "I did not stutter, San!"

"Your tomato face says otherwise."

"Oh fuck off!"

"I'm flattered, but I don't want to do it in front of the others, especially your little girlfriend."

"San!" Quinn stopped when she found an arm wrapped around her.

"Okay, Quinn. Retract the claws before we make another scene," Rachel soothed as she rubbed her hand against Quinn's arm in comfort.

The blonde took in a deep breath before giving a nod.

"Whipped."

Hazel eyes turned green at the comment. "I'll get you, Lopez."

"Bring it, Fabray."

A phone rang as Mercedes quickly took out her phone, stopping the fight. "Okay. Tina just texted me. Everyone will be in here in a few minutes. Kurt. Help me hold down Santana."

"Yep." The boy looked at the duo in front of them. "You two to the window before this gets ugly."

"Huh?" Before they could ask any questions, Brittany took them to the couch and had them sit, starting on some duck stories to distract them. They couldn't help but to smile at her innocence as she talked about her adventures with one of her favorite animals.

The door swung open at the team flooded the room, asking many questions about the two's well being after they suddenly ran off. Blaine and Tina had a good idea after getting texts from Kurt and Mercedes so they helped deflect the questions and giving the two space. Will was immediately at their side to comfort them even if he initially wanted to yell at them for running off.

It wasn't until Finn came in and all hell broke loose. He ran in asking about Rachel and it took the rest of the boys to hold Santana back from killing the quarterback. It was quite surprising that the smallest of the Unholy Trinity had so much rage in her body that she nearly threw off the toughest of the group. Even Lauren Zizes barely managed to hold her down at this point.

" _Listen here, you little bitch! I'm from Lima Heights Adjacent and I'm fucking proud of it!_ " she screeched in Spanish, leaving everyone in shock and fear at the ferocity of her words. " _Do you know what happens in Lima Heights Adjacent?! Bad shit! So if you even dare look at my girls like that after your little shit show of a stunt, I will go Lima Heights Adjacent on your ass!_ "

"Brittany! Brittany, do something!" Kurt shouted as he tried to hold down the Latina's arm despite her constant flailing.

The blonde quickly shook her head, knowing very well that she's never seen her girlfriend raging at this capacity. It was almost frightening for the most innocent of the group who often easily ended her girlfriend's fits.

"Santana! He's not worth it!"

Silence struck the room at the sharp voice. They turned to the petite brunette who stood up from her seat on the couch, even Santana who was shocked of the outburst. Rachel stomped over towards the quarterback, looking at him square in the face. The tall boy seemed to have faltered at her gaze which was surprising as only two people were able to do that and they were usually seen in Cheerios uniforms and ponytails.

She folded her arms. "Finn, I appreciate your concern but I suggest you leave. What you did back there was unprofessional and costed us a chance of being in the Top 10. I know it also applies to Quinn and I running, but right now you're making it worse. I suggest you leave before you put Santana on another fit."

Finn looked at his ex-girlfriend, surprised to see her defending the Latina and looking angry after what happened. He knew Santana would have went off at the two of them for the kiss if it costed them a chance for the Top 10, but he didn't expect it to be at this ferocity. But he knew he didn't have a choice, seeing how the Unholy Trinity viewed his company as unpleasant as well as the others. "Okay. Just… call me when you guys want to talk."

"Yeah…"

Finn took his leave. "I suggest all of the boys do the same. Kurt, you can stay," Rachel said," You, too, Mr. Schue. Please. We need some time alone."

The Spanish teacher looked at his co-captain before giving a reluctant nod. "Just tell us if you need anything. We'll be right next door." He led the boys out after having them let go of Santana who was quickly pulled into a hug by Brittany, the blonde whispering words of comfort to her.

"Please remind me to never go on Santana's bad side like that…" Tina said when the room was quiet.

"You probably won't, Tina," Mercedes said with a small laugh. "That is most likely reserved for Finn." They all took seats on the beds to make some kind of circle, Brittany tracing circles on Santana's arm to soothe her.

"So what really happened?" Tina asked once they were all settled.

"It's a really long story that we'll explain at a later time," Kurt said before looking at the Latina. "And Santana. Don't try to do that again when we get back to Lima. Whether he deserves it or not, he's still my brother and he deserves to live."

"Don't push me, Hummel," Santana snapped. "And fine. Just get Beiste if you and the boys can't hold me down next time." She looked over at Quinn and gave a small wink and smile. The blonde simply rested a hand on her friend's shoulder as thanks before resting her head on Rachel's shoulder as if begging for comfort.

Tina and Lauren's jaws dropped at the sight. They knew the two were beginning to be friends but not to _that_ extent. Rachel simply held her hand up to stop any incoming questions. "It's a long story. We'll talk about it when we're ready."

"O…kay…" Tina looked over at Mercedes who smiled and shrugged.

"All in due time."

Rachel took out her phone before typing something in the text messages. She didn't press send and simply showed it to Quinn who looked at the screen.

 _For starters… Why don't we have breakfast at Tiffany's? Kurt already went with me yesterday so he's satisfied. We can bring Santana and Brittany if that makes you more comfortable._

Quinn smiled before taking the phone and typing a reply.

 _We can go alone. I want to talk to you more. See if I can woo you into knowing your feelings better._

 _Intriguing. I'd like to see you try._

Quinn smiled wider and cuddled her head into Rachel's neck, making the diva turn a bright pink. Rather than objecting, she smiled. Needy Quinn is actually quite adorable.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**_

* * *

Rachel looked at the mirror as she held different shirts in front of her before tossing them onto the floor and picking up new ones. When the school year ended, Puck decided the best way to cheer everyone up was to hold a large party some time during the summer. Everyone wasn't that excited for a pity party for holding twelfth place at Nationals but figured it might help them relax before going into Sectionals rehearsals come September. The diva, herself, wasn't that into getting drunk and going crazy in a party but knew it might put in some closure on the drama after the competition.

She and Quinn were able to go to Tiffany's as promised the morning before the flight home, but the ride was fairly quiet. The loss hit them like a sack of bricks and was hard to think about what they could have done to reach the Top 10. Everyone decided against discussing it because it would lead to another fight about who would be given the most blame for the loss of points. Their last glee club meeting mostly consisted of a pep talk from Mr. Schue who, despite his disappointment, tried to cheer them up. It led to some snide remarks here and there from Santana and Puck. The tension reached a new high and made the talk awkward enough for the last meeting to end early.

But Rachel didn't want that to bother her. She promised herself that she would find closure with everything. It was going to be a tough battle. She would be lying to herself if she said she didn't have feelings for Finn, but she would also be lying if she said she didn't have feelings for Quinn. Their friendship has been slowly growing over the school year and she eventually found herself at ease around the blonde. Going to junior prom together had her extremely giddy even with the smirks and teasing from the remaining members of the Unholy Trinity. She was happy to be able to spend that kind of quality time with Quinn so it felt strange when she saw her slow dancing with Finn. This strange pang in her heart when she saw the two dancing together. This sudden jealousy that made her confused. Was she jealous of Quinn for catching Finn's attention again after they broke up? Or was she jealous of Finn for being able to take the first slow dance with the blonde before her? Those were questions she couldn't answer until that one night in the hotel bathroom. It was certain she has feelings for Quinn Fabray, but something was pulling her back from admitting it.

"Rach~"

She jumped at the call and turned to find a familiar blonde at her bedroom door. "Q-Quinn! You're here early," she said, feeling her stomach doing backflips.

Quinn felt her eyebrows raising in amusement. "I just wanted to check and see if you're ready to go." Her gaze fell to the floor where many pieces of clothing were scattered. "I can see you're having some trouble."

Rachel felt the heat rising to her cheeks in embarrassment. "I-I'm just having some trouble picking something out. You saw what I wore during that train wreck of a party I held. I just-" She froze when Quinn wrapped an arm around her, a teasing smirk on her face. "Q-Quinn..."

"What you wore that night was... adorable. Not something someone should wear to a party, but I found it adorable." She pulled away before going to the closet, shifting through the many tops and skirts she could see. A smile crept up on her face when she saw some clothes hidden in the back. Rachel Berry definitely has more than just animal sweaters and plaid skirts. She took hold of a shirt and shorts before tossing it to the diva's hands. "Wear this one. I'm sure everyone will like to see you wear this."

Rachel looked at the outfit and her face flushed. It was a crop top with a wide neckline and a pair of booty shorts. She looked back at the blonde who smirked at her shock. "Q-Quinn! I cannot wear this!"

The blonde simply laughed before tossing her a tank top. "Relax, Berry. This is just a party with the other glee kids. Besides. You were adventurous enough to wear that Britney getup to school. Why can't you wear a crop top to a summer party? And it's in your closet so you should at least wear it."

"I do wear it! Just..." She looked down and to the side nervously. "Just at home when I'm swimming..."

"The more reason you should wear it to the party." She picked up her purse before heading out. "I'll meet you in the car. And don't worry. I won't let Santana or Brittany touch you if they get turned on," she added with another teasing smirk. She turned to leave, hoping she wouldn't laugh at the brunette's red face.

* * *

Rachel could feel the heat rising to her cheeks as the two entered the Lopez household. Her gaze was towards the floor but she knew a few of her teammates were staring at her and her outfit.

"So this is what Rachel Berry wears during summer vacation," Kurt teased as he walked up to the two. "What made you cave?" he asked before looking over at Quinn who simply smirked.

"Please don't make this worse than it already is..." the diva said quietly, covering her face from embarrassment.

"Well I think it looks great," Quinn said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "A friend always helps a friend look her best."

"You really want to go that route, Fabray?" she quipped quietly.

"Only until you're ready. Come on. Let's get you a drink." She dragged the brunette through the house and towards the kitchen where they found Santana and Brittany talking while making some margaritas. "Hey, guys."

The two turned at the voice and smiled. "You guys came~" Brittany cheered.

Santana let out a small whistle when she saw Rachel. "Damn, Fabray. If you weren't trying to get into Berry's pants, I would definitely tap that."

"Santana!" Rachel chided as her face turned redder. "It is not like that!"

"Uh-huh..." The Latina looked at Quinn who had a victorious smirk on her face. She held up the cocktail shaker. "Any requests?"

"The usual would be fine," Quinn said before looking at Rachel. "Are you going to drink or will you have flashbacks about being thrown up on?"

Brittany's face turned pale at the memory. "Rach? Did that make you stop drinking?" she asked, tears glistening in her blue eyes.

"N-no! I'm fine!" Rachel cried, trying to calm the blonde. She shot a glare at Quinn, knowing fully well that she used Brittany's innocence against her. "Santana. I'll just take a wine cooler for now."

There was a loud groan from Santana as she took out the said drink from the small fridge under the island. She reached into her pocket to take out a crisp ten-dollar bill before placing it into Quinn's hands. "I'll get you next time, Fabray."

"Oh please. I know Rachel more than you so I'll know she'll cave," the blonde teased.

Rachel rolled her eyes but felt a little at ease, glad to know the head bitch paid a little more attention to her than she first thought. She opened up the bottle before taking a sip. She placed it back onto the counter before at her partner. "So Quinn... Do you think anyone will know about... us?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well Santana and Brittany know. Kurt and Mercedes have an idea. If I come up with my answer over the summer and we walk into school as... you know..." She looked at her hands as she twiddled her thumbs.

There was a moment of silence in the kitchen. Santana and Brittany looked between the two when they realized they weren't looking at each other anymore. "You guys want to go up to my room to talk about it?" Santana asked, looking over at Quinn who sipped her margarita. Her eyes widened a little when the blonde didn't stop. She quickly pulled the drink away. "Slow down. You just got here so we can't have you go too crazy."

"Sorry. I just..." Quinn nervously licked the salt from her lips, knowing she may have her doubts about going public. "I just remembered something about why we can't..."

"You wanna talk about it?"

Quinn looked over at Rachel who showed the same amount of concern in her eyes. "M-maybe later." She took back her drink before drinking the rest of it.

Santana held up her hands as if in defeat. "Just don't get too drunk. Can't have you snap at everyone if you do."

Rachel carefully wrapped an arm around Quinn's waist. "I'll bring her to a seat." She grabbed a water bottle that was on the counter along with her own drink before leading her out to the living room where everyone was dancing. She set her down on the couch before holding up the water bottle. "You do know you shouldn't drink so fast if you're not that tolerant."

"I'm fine, Rach," she said, grabbing the bottle. She let out a small groan after taking a sip. "Just know that if I start screaming, I don't mean any of it."

"Okay, Miss Angry Drunk."

"Glad you're caught up." She took another sip before staring off into space. From the corner of her eye, she saw Santana licking salt off of Brittany's neck before downing a shot of tequila. Her gaze fell onto Rachel who was watching the game of beer pong nearby. "Body shots?"

The diva looked at her before laughing. "Are you drunk already?"

"No."

"Come on. You said you'll wait for me while I figure things out. And only a drunk person would ask their point of interest for body shots."

"Boo."

Rachel couldn't help but to laugh again. It was the same kind of drunk she saw during prom. The type she found adorable because it wasn't often to find Quinn Fabray act like a pouting child when she's a little tipsy.

"Okay, missy. If you really want to drink, let's play beer pong with Puck and Sam. Or that quarter game you guys were playing at my house."

Quinn let out an excited gasp. "You know me too well~" She got up to her feet before dragging her friend to the others. "Rachie wants to play Quarters~"

* * *

Rachel smacked her head against the table, now regretting to join them in their little game. She lost track after the fifth round and got dizzy after her third shot. Usually people would become sloppy after their first few shots but surprisingly, her aim became better. She had to call out when she found the room spinning and had to go out into the patio for fresh air. She wasn't sure how Quinn can still keep going after confirming she can't hold her alcohol as well as the diva.

She found a water bottle held out to her and she weakly accepted it. She looked at the person next to her to be Kurt. She might have expected Mercedes to be with him but she's probably with the others laughing at every second over random comments.

"You okay?" the boy asked," You took a lot more than you can handle for your second party."

"I don't know how they do it… Playing shot games, I mean…" she groaned.

"Surprising that someone who can't hold her liquor keeps going strong? Even I don't know," Kurt teased, making her stifle a laugh.

She looked up at the sky as she laid on the lounge chair. "Hey, Kurt…"

"Yeah?"

"Is it bad that I feel like this around her? Around Quinn, I mean."

The boy looked up at the sky, thinking the same thing. "Falling in love with your tormentor who actually has feelings for you? I'd say you're crazy, but it doesn't mean I can stop you. I mean, I was kissed by Dave Karofsky who is so deep into the closet that no one knows when he'll be dug out. Having Quinn flirt with you and be friends with you is healthier for the two of you to bond."

"I know… I love that we're friends, but… Sometimes I want it to be more than that… yet for some reason, it feels wrong… After what happened with Finn and Jesse… I just can't be sure… And Quinn has her own problems to deal with so I doubt she wants to be my girlfriend and come out so suddenly just because I want to say yes. Her mother will freak. She almost did when she found out Quinn wasn't going with a date and went with me to prom instead."

"Well you do know there's such thing as a secret relationship. Santana and Brittany did that without knowing."

"But they're different, Kurt… Everyone knows how Brittany is even though she's smarter than people see her as… Santana is Santana… This is me and Quinn we're talking about… I'm McKinley's biggest loser and she's the top bitch at the school. What will they even say if they find out about us having feelings for each other? Once the school knows, so will all of Lima or Ohio. And you, yourself, know how hard it is to be in this type of relationship since you've lived your whole life ridiculed for it."

Kurt rested a comforting hand on hers. "You'll figure something out. And you're drunk which makes it harder for you to concentrate. But once you sober up and calm down, you might want to talk to Quinn and see if there's a way to move around it. You're still figuring out your feelings, aren't you? Maybe talking to her might help you in the long run."

"Maybe…" She softly smiled. "Thanks, Kurt… I'm glad we've became friends after all the drama between us."

"No problem. Now do you want to go inside and stop your potential girlfriend from going into an angry fit? I heard she goes crazy if she has enough."

This earned a hearty laugh from the diva. "Okay. I'll stop her from drinking too much or neither of us will go home."

* * *

"No, I will not leave her alone! She is my best friend and nothing can change that!" Quinn slurred as she glared at Finn. "You're just jealous that we're actually friends now and she's spending more time with me!"

"I never said I was jealous," Finn said, trying to calm the angry drunk. "I just don't want her to get hurt."

"Say that for yourself, Hudson! I wasn't the one who cost us Nationals and make Rachel cry in the hotel bathroom in the city of her dreams! That kiss was so uncalled for and you ruined our chances of beating Vocal Adrenaline!"

"Yeah, well last time I heard, leaving in the middle of a performance will also cost points. Something you did and made Zizes catch up."

"Because of your kiss that made Rachel panic! I'm her friend! I take care of friends and comfort her!"

The group sat and stood around the room in shock as they watched the two argue in a somewhat drunken rage. "Who put her in charge of the game again…?" Artie whispered to no one in particular.

"I don't know but angry drunk Quinn is kind of hot," Santana slurred before taking another sip of her drink. Brittany nudged her before shooting her a stare to make her do something. She shrugged again before seeing Rachel walking in with Kurt. "Yo, Berry! Calm your best friend before she chops down the tree and its nuts!" This received a playful slap to the arm from her girlfriend, making her laugh harder.

Rachel rolled her eyes before looking at the arguing duo. She took in a deep breath, questioning why _she's_ the one that has to stop them. She stood in between them. "Okay, enough fighting over me. Quinn, we are going to find somewhere for you to lie down, okay?" She carefully wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist, only to let out a small squeak when Quinn leaned against her and cuddled her head against the diva's neck. "Quinn. Okay. We are definitely letting you lie down." She looked over at Finn before pointing at him with her free hand. "You are going to sit down and when I come back, we're going to have a talk. No funny business."

She started to drag Quinn upstairs as the blonde let out a laugh. "Hah! Guess I get to score past second base with her before you, Hudson!" she slurred.

Rachel felt the heat rise to her cheeks again, knowing fully well that it was the alcohol talking but something that both of them will regret later. She let out a small groan when everyone's eyes looked like they might pop out of their sockets. "She's kidding! She's just drunk and joking!" she shouted before disappearing at the top of the stairs and stumbling what may be Santana's room. It wouldn't be too much of a surprise with the red and black plastered throughout the room. Truly fit for that satanic young woman.

She carefully rested Quinn onto the queen-sized bed. "No funny business, Quinn." She suddenly remembered she had a water bottle in her hands and held it out to the blonde. "Drink this. The shots probably made you thirsty."

Quinn gave her a disapproving glare before taking hold of the bottle, only to grab Rachel's wrist and pull her onto the bed. "Sit with me," she whispered, wrapping her arms around the brunette.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Please…"

Sensing this sudden need and begging from the blonde, Rachel couldn't help but to comply. This sudden act of vulnerability that was never really shown until recently. Of course, she has seen it quite a few times when Quinn was pregnant, but she returned to her usual head bitch self once the new school year started. It felt a little strange to see Quinn Fabray put down her walls when they've only been friends for a few months.

She carefully ran her fingers through the girl's short blonde locks. She was quite surprised when she found out about the haircut the day before the competition. But there was something that was new and different about Quinn when she decided to sport the new hair. This sudden confidence and relaxed air around her. A new resolve of some sorts.

"Rach… Do you love me?"

The diva looked at the blonde in surprise, not expecting such a question. "Do you really want to know?"

"I dunno… Am I drunk?"

"Very."

"Then don't tell me."

Rachel softly laughed when she suddenly gave up. "Quinn, you really shouldn't be asking questions when you're drunk."

"You're drunk, too."

"Not as drunk as you. Already yelling at Finn."

"You could have stopped me."

"After all those shots I took from that game with you? No way." She gave the blonde a gentle poke on the temple. They burst into giggles. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"I might forget."

"Well here's to hoping you don't." This earned some more giggles from the blonde. "So… about us."

"Mm-hmm?"

"Will you always be comfortable about acting like this? People will catch on. And I'm still worried about what everyone will say about it. I'm still a loser to everyone and if word gets out, what will that make you?"

"I want to say 'Fuck 'em'…"

"But you won't."

Quinn's shoulders slouched in defeat. "I know…" She nuzzled her head against Rachel's neck, seeking for more comfort. "Do you think… my parents will love me if I told them…?"

Rachel pursed her lips, knowing that the blonde doesn't really want an answer. "Will you ever tell them…?"

"That's my problem… They almost burned me at the stake when they found out about Beth… My mom brought me back in because my dad's a jackass, but I can still feel hostility from her… If I make another mistake… I'm not a Fabray anymore…" Her voice cracked as tears fell.

Rachel gave her a gentle squeeze in comfort. "It would be their loss… You're perfect, Quinn."

"No… I'm not…"

"You are. You just need someone to remind you that." Rachel gently traced patterns on the blonde's arm. "Do you know what I think?"

"What?"

"Well… Even though I am a little tipsy, I can tell you that you're a wonderful person. You're always doing your best to be strong and showing you won't show weakness in front of your enemies. You want to tell yourself that once you leave, you will be happy and free from everything that ties you down. You say you're a Lima Loser, but I can say that you're better than that. You can always be better than that."

"You don't know that…"

"Maybe not. But it doesn't mean I can't help. Glee Club is a family and it helped us become friends. I know I can be the most annoying girl in the world to everyone, but I can see that you are better than what you make yourself out to be. And I will help you that for our senior year."

"How so?"

"Come to New York with me. I am applying to NYADA and Julliard so I can accomplish my dreams for Broadway. New York probably has some really good schools for you to apply to given your GPA. If not New York, maybe a school that can get you farther away from Lima. Surely someone as smart as you can get into any school imaginable."

"I don't see how that's possible…"

"What ever happened to that confident Head Bitch of McKinley? Always ready to put people in their places just from her famous glare. What happened to her?" she teased, receiving a small laugh.

"You really think I'll be okay?"

"I know you will. And you have friends to help. Santana and Brittany have been with you since freshman year. Mercedes is like your new sister along with Kurt."

"Honorary Sister?"

Rachel laughed at the question. "Yes. Honorary Sister. Sam and Blaine and Artie can be your brothers who can make you smile or laugh. Puck is like that brother who can protect you when you're in trouble. He's a softy when he's not playing with girls but don't tell him I said that." This earned another laugh. "Mike and Tina are quiet but you'll always know that they'll have your back. Zizes is like that rock who teaches you how to be confident with your insecurities and not care what people think."

"And you?"

"I'll be that one friend that won't leave your side. You can say all of the mean things you don't mean and I'll take them. I can learn to love and accept who you are the more I know you." She softly smiled. "I like you, Quinn. I really do. And I hope we can be great friends before we move forward. And I will do my best to be there for you."

Quinn couldn't help but to smile as she held the brunette. "I like you, too… And thank you… For not running away…"

"I'll be there when you need me. But right now, there's something I need to do that can help both of us." She gently pried the blonde's arms off of her. "I am going to talk to Finn. Get him to understand everything and let us be friends. Have him come to terms with our friendship and make things easier. Okay?"

"Does it have to be now?"

"Yes. Now you need to rest. You've had too many shots and went crazy. I'm sure Santana won't mind having you sleep in her bed for now. Okay?:

"Okay…"

Rachel looked at the blonde who shifted in the bed to lay down, placing the bottle on the nightstand in case.

"Can I have a kiss goodnight?"

The diva's eyes went wide at the request before laughing. Needy Quinn was definitely adorable. "Only if you promise to rest." Rachel leaned in before placing a gentle kiss to the blonde's forehead. She pouted.

"I meant the lips."

"We're not up to that yet, missy. I still haven't said 'yes' so be patient." She made her way to the door but was stopped by a voice.

"Rach?"

She turned back to find a small genuine smile on Quinn's face. "Yes, Quinn?"

"Thank you… For starting to accept me…" She closed her eyes before going to sleep.

Rachel felt her heart flutter at the words and smiled. "You're welcome…" She closed the door behind her before making her way downstairs, preparing herself what could be another hell.


	12. Chapter 12

**_A/N: It's been a while... A long while... Been trying to think over the chapter to see how to handle what was brought up in the previous chapter. But at least it's out now :D_**

* * *

Rachel folded her arms as she faced Finn, ignoring the looks the others gave them. "Finn. We need to talk. Are you sober enough for that?"

Finn looked at the diva but froze when her gaze turned into a hard glare. He quickly shook his head for a nod. "Y-yeah. I'm sober enough."

"Then I expect no funny business when we talk." She took hold of his arm before leading him towards one of the guest room. She stopped and looked over at Santana and Brittany. "She's sleeping but I suggest watching her. She drank more than what she can hold."

"No need to tell us twice." Santana took hold of her girlfriend before taking her upstairs, allowing Rachel to drag Finn into the room.

She pointed to the bed. "Sit." The tall boy quickly complied and sat at the foot of the bed, allowing her to sit next to him.

"How bad was it?" he asked, unwilling to look at her.

"Very bad, Finn." She looked at him. "It's best to give Quinn and I a chance at friendship. We've been talking a lot and we like being with each other. You have to understand that."

"I-I know that, but-"

"But it doesn't mean you should confront her about it just because we started off on the wrong foot. I don't know what she's going through right now and I'm afraid that you don't, either. Yes, the two of us used to date you and broke up because of cheating, but we're learning to put that past behind us. She's trying really hard. I'm trying really hard. I expect you to do the same if you want us to stay friends."

Finn looked at her, a confused look on his face as he tried to decipher her words. "Do you like her?"

"As a friend? Of course. Why?"

"I dunno... It just seems off. You guys have been at each other's throats for two and a half years and now you're talking and being buddies. Everyone has been scratching their heads about it. She's been terrible to you and now you act like it never happened."

"I'm sure everyone at this school has been thinking that. But things change, Finn. We have all been in glee club together for two years now. It makes sense that we should at least try to be friends and open up to each other. This club allows people in different social hierarchies like us be friends and go against the norms. Like mash-ups."

"Football and Glee."

The diva softly laughed, remembering their initial mash-up lesson in sophomore year. "Yeah. Football and Glee. So what do you say, Finn? Give Quinn and I a chance at friendship? No interruptions or confrontations?"

The quarterback pursed his lips before giving a nod. "Probably better if I should. A good leader should support the decisions of his teammates."

"Great. Now. Onto the next issue." She stood up before facing him, her arms loosely folded. "The kiss that missed."

Finn's face fell at the mention of what happened at Nationals. "Right... That…"

"Yeah…" Rachel tightly hugged her arms, unsure what to tell him. "Finn... I would be lying if I said I don't still have feelings for you, but I would also be lying if I said I want to be with you again. Things haven't been going as well as we had hoped, but I'm not sure how much longer we can keep fighting for it."

"Is there someone else?"

Rachel took in a deep breath before giving a small nod. "For quite a while, actually... That was why I left in New York and why I panicked at Nationals. So much has happened these past two years, Finn. Things change. I still love you, but I'm afraid it's nothing more than platonic now... I hope you understand..."

Finn pursed his lips, unsure what to make of the situation. "So we're not endgame?"

"I-I'm afraid not..." She tensed when the tall boy stood up before taking his leave. "Finn?"

"I just... I just need to think about it." He left the room, leaving the diva to herself.

* * *

Santana carefully brushed Quinn's hair from her face as the blonde slept. "You really drank too much, Q. We were so close to taking my dad's crowbar out to stop you from killing him. Way to almost out yourself." She softly laughed at the idea of the Head Cheerio almost killing who used to be her ex-boyfriend.

"Do you think she'll be okay, San?" Brittany asked, playing with a lock of Quinn's hair. "Will Quinn be okay when she comes out?"

Santana nervously bit her lip as she looked at her girlfriend, unsure of what to say. Quinn moved back into the Fabray household after she found out her mom kicked her dad out for cheating. The woman was more open about her daughter's decisions but there was still some hostility. It was more evident during prom when she answered the door to Santana and Brittany. It wasn't unknown to the whole town that the two were dating and the Fabrays were infamous for looking down on homosexuality. Judy was no exception but she seemed to tolerate the idea more than accept it. She was even more surprised when she found Rachel in her home for their group photo but decided to keep her mouth shut for the sake of her daughter. Quinn was well aware of the hostility so the chances of her coming out to her mother was slim.

Her father, on the other hand, was a different story. He was a man of his word and was always eager to make himself look like the perfect father of a perfect Christian family. Like many other people in Lima, he was not happy when it came to anything that would go against the Bible... or at least how he interprets it. When the Fabrays moved to Lima, he made it his personal mission to make the Berry men's lives a living hell when they're in public, showing how unacceptable it is to be gay or eve interested in those of the opposite gender. He ran his house through fear and forced his family to create the perfect picture, something no one knew about until his youngest daughter met Santana and Brittany. It wouldn't be a surprise if he were to force himself back into the house and forbid his daughter from seeing her best friends again or let her step foot in glee anymore to make sure she stays away from "sinners". If she did, it would be met with severe consequences.

Santana and Brittany actually never heard of these issues until Quinn broke down during one of their sleepovers at the Pierce household after she was kicked out for being pregnant. She wanted to stay away from Finn for the night and called them for help about her issue. She blamed the pregnancy hormones but it didn't stop her from telling them everything. Her life as Lucy, the way her father becomes impatient or violent whenever she doesn't do things perfectly. Hell, he even slapped her when she stepped out of the door with whatever she could pack in thirty minutes. The two were furious when she told them, unable to believe that a father would strike his own child, especially if she was pregnant. What made them even angrier was that Finn never told them when he was talking about her being kicked out and didn't do anything to defend her when it happened. That was when they swore to stay by her side and maintain some kind of power within the three of them. They had their moments in the halls but it was more for image than anything. It was a quiet pact that at least one of them would be in power so the others wouldn't be put down.

Santana reached over to take Brittany's free hand, tightly squeezing it in comfort. "We'll figure it out, Britt. Q will be fine as long as we're with her."

"Okay..."

* * *

Rachel gently knocked on the door, making the two look up. "Hey, Berry." Santana sat up, rubbing her eyes to get rid of the exhaustion coming over her.

"H-hey. Um... Is Quinn feeling better?"

"She's knocked out." She snorted a little before adding "You really shouldn't have asked to play Quarters when she was already drunk. She knocks out fast once we put her down."

"P-please forgive me for letting her get so drunk. I wasn't aware that she can drink so much for a lightweight."

"It's okay."

"Are you leaving already, Rachel?" Brittany asked, receiving a small nod.

"Well. Quinn was my ride but since she's asleep, I was thinking about calling my Dad to pick me up. I wanted to check on her to see if she feels better before I can take her home or something."

"Leave her to us. We'll talk to her when she wakes up so she won't freak out," Santana said.

"If you say so." Rachel looked at the sleeping blonde, softly smiling at how peaceful she looked. She looked back at the Latina. "Is it okay if I come back tomorrow? We kind of promised to hang out during the summer. Of course, if that's okay with the two of you."

Brittany brightened up at the idea. "Yeah! All four of us can hang out tomorrow! San, please~"

Santana looked at her girlfriend who was now pouting as if to beg. She smiled and looked away. "Okay, okay. But just know we're going to be hungover tomorrow, Britt. We have to be careful."

"Okay!"

Santana let out a small laugh before looking over to Rachel. "Come over whenever you can. Bring a bathing suit. We might be in the pool tomorrow."

"Will do." Rachel's phone rang and she quickly answered. "That's Daddy. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. I'll text Quinn the time so... we're good?"

"We're good, Berry."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow." She leaned over to ruffled Quinn's hair before taking her leave.

Santana quirked an eyebrow before looking at her girlfriend who was beaming at the gesture. "Team Faberry!" the blonde cheered, only for Santana to laugh at her enthusiasm.

"Shh. Don't let Q know yet. We need to see her face once Berry says yes."

Brittany happily nodded before jumping on her spot in excitement.

* * *

 ** _A/N: So... that's Chapter 12. It's much_** **much** ** _shorter than what I usually put out, but I feel as though the next chapter will be some kind of time skip to either the middle/end of summer or the first day of Senior Year._**

 ** _If you guys want, I'd really like to get some feedback. Four reviews for 11 chapters is kind of hard to work with... I found this out with my other ongoing series and if I do get a review, there are often some good suggestions for improvements and such. It's voluntary but it'd be nice to receive at least one per new chapter. Thanks and let's wait for the next chapter!_**

 ** _(Also: I want to know some opinions about Glee OCs. I've been working on another story on my free time and it does heavily focus on Faberrittana. It's an eventual Faberry and I'm leaning between posting it after I finish this story or just keeping it stored on my drive like all of my other drafts and such.)_**


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